By Amin Kef (Ranger)
The leadership of the APC Party has stated that its stance of non-participation in governance still stands. This pronouncement came in the wake of recent meetings held between the National Executive of the Party and the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone as well as the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion respectively.
According to the APC, several requests for a meeting were received by the Party from the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone and the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion of which the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of the Party, during a meeting held on the 16th of August, 2023, mandated the National Executive to entertain the requests from the said institutions and accept their calls for a meeting.
Two meetings were held on the 14th and 15th August 2023, with the Inter Religious Council of Sierra Leone and the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion. During both meetings, officials of the two non-governmental organizations tried to know what specifically the grievances of the APC Party were followed by the way forward in resolving the impasse between the Government and the Party.
To those demands, the APC made it categorically clear that their concerns are open knowledge further stressing that if sincere dialogue is to hold then a proper understanding of the root cause of the impasse must be done.
However, according to the National Secretary General of the APC, Lansana Dumbuya Esq, the party did not engage in any form of negotiation during those meetings but merely listened and presented the party’s position, which, according to him, is generally known to everyone.
He continued by pointing out that amid mounting concerns, the APC party still maintains its resolute position of refraining from participating in governance activities until the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) offers transparency by disclosing the actual election results.
The APC, however, has strongly emphasized that it is not averse to sitting at the table and talk through their demands subject to such dialogue being facilitated by a credible external independent arbiter or institution.
Engagements by both the Inter-Religious Council and Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) with the leading opposition party came over a month after the party’s declaration to boycott Governmental and governance functions. The APC party has yet to accept the results officially announced by the ECSL, citing irregularities and in demanding greater clarity, the party has also called upon the ECSL to unveil the election outcomes on a per-polling-station basis, rather than just by district.
Meanwhile, President Bio, who was declared winner of the Presidential election and inaugurated for his second term has appealed to the APC leadership to collaborate with his administration.
Despite ongoing efforts to resolve the matter, no breakthroughs have been achieved thus far, raising concerns among some segments of the public about a potential regression toward a one-party State.
With the nation on tenterhooks for further developments, the outcome of such discussions holds the potential to profoundly impact Sierra Leone’s political landscape and its persistent pursuit of harmonious governance.
(C) The Calabash Newspaper
