By Expo Staff Writer>
Following the signing of a communiqué, which emanated from the three-day dialogue between the Government of Sierra Leone and the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party on some issues pertaining the June 24th2023 polls, the APC leadership has directed its elected officials to take their seats in all local councils across the country.
“In the aftermath of the June 24th 2023 elections in Sierra Leone, a political impasse ensued between the two rival political parties (All Peoples Congress – APC and Sierra Leone People’s Party – SLPP). The opposition party (APC), aggrieved by what they believed to be an inaccurate announcement of results by the Electoral Commission under the proportional representation system, took a strong stance that they are not going to participate in any form of governance and that the announced elected members are not going to Parliament and the councils. They demanded the release of disaggregated results from every polling station and called for the use of Results Reconciliation Forms (RRFs) to verify and reconcile the announced results. On the 16th – 18thOctober, 2023) at the Bintumani hotel, Freetown an agreement for national unity was met both the APC and the government of Sierra Leone,” the party explained in a press release.
The release further noted that, “In line with the communiqué executed between the Government of Sierra Leone and the All People’s Congress (APC), on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the APC party released a public notice that carries the title that “Oath taking and swearing in ceremony for mayors, chairpersons and councilors of the all Peoples Congress (APC).” The notice reads: …The APC calls on its elected representatives in the following places North-Western and Northern Regions and the Western Area Rural District Council and Freetown City Council to represent themselves at the designated locations and subscribe to the oath of office as follows: Western Area Rural District Council – Thursday, 26th October 2023, at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs at 10 AM; Freetown City Council – Thursday, 26th October 2023, at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs at 10 AM; North-Western Region – Friday, 27th October 2023, at the Port Loko District Council at 11 AM; and Northern Region – Saturday, 28th October 2023, at the Makeni City Council Hall at 11 AM.”
According to the announcement, the swearing-in ceremony for elected local council representatives in the Southern and Eastern Regions will be conducted by the Chief Administrators of the respective councils, in accordance with the law.
One of the clauses in the dialogue communiqué directed that APC elected members of parliament and mayors, chairpersons and councillors of councils, who had earlier refused to take their elective seats should do so.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times Newspaper on Friday 27th October, 2023 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)