By Septimus Senessie in Kono
The Kono District Party Chairman of the ruling All People’s Congress, Francis Gbondo Peni-Pani and the party’s youth league in the district, who are believed to be loyal to Local Government Minister, Diana Konomayi, boycotted a “Peace and Unity” addressed by Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana. The meeting was organized by rival youth organisations including those from Gbense and Tankoro at the Kumba Satta Amara Resource Center in Koidu. The Vice President thanked the youth for attempting to reunite the district at a time of “deep- seated division among the youth and politicians". He said “shame on us politicians who could not take up this initiative early to unite ourselves and you the youth into a unit for the common goal of our district”, adding, “This step is commendable”. He urged them to keep the peace they had established among themselves and stop politicians from "high-jacking" it, noting that development would always be a far cry in the district if young people and politicians did not unite. He assured the young people that he was at peace with members of his party including the local government minister, Diana Finda Konomayi and promised to fund the “district peace carnival project” that the youth plan to organise. He urged them to be peaceful and law abiding and work hard in line with other youth groups not present at the meeting. The chairmen of the Tankoro and Gbense Youth Organisations, Councilor Kai Lawrence Mbayo and Aiah Mbayo respectively, assured the VP of their total commitment to peace among themselves and promised to bring on board the APC youth organization not represented at the meeting as a means of “dissolving all the political camps in the district". Speaking to Politico at his Hill Station residence, the APC district youth chairman, Mohamed Bandagba denied boycotting the meeting with the Vice President but accused the organizers of being loyal to the VP and of failing to “show respect to my own leaders, Diana Finda Konomayi and the chairman of the party, Francis Gbondo Peni Pani who were not invited to the meeting.” Bandagba said: “they should not only invite us for peace talks whiles the political leaders and the paramount chiefs are in a deep-seated malice among themselves...” he said, adding “Let them first put their house in order and come back to us the youth”. The APC district chairman, Francis Gbondo Peni Pani also told Politico that he refused to attend the meeting because the Vice President did not recognise him as the district chairman of APC “and that was a total disrespect to my leadership.” He accused the Vice President of being behind the disunity in Kono district. (C) Politico 13/08/13
