By Francis H. Murray
A High Court in Freetown has slammed another injunction on all political activities of the main opposition All Peoples Congress Party (APC) only days after a similar action was dismissed by Justice Komba Kamanda.
Justice Adrian Fisher’s injunction order on Friday 26th February 2021 followed an Ex-Parte notice of motion with supporting affidavit sworn to by Rashid Santigie Sesay with exhibit attached to it, and from the submission of Lawyer Jesse M. Jengo.
He ordered: “that the defendants are restrained…from holding any conference, convention, meeting rally or from taking part or organising any such conference, convention, meeting or rally geared towards nominating, proposing, selecting or electing any delegates and/or candidates into the party executive for the day to day running of the party, pending the hearing and determination of this application or further order of this court.”
Sidi Yayah Tunis, the party’s National Publicity Secretary described the injunction as “unrealistic.” He said: “we received it on Friday as a matter of fact we saw it on social media first. So our legal team would have to appear in court to see the details and then they can also react accordingly. As a party, we’re only waiting for the advice of our legal team.’’
Tunis said the court actions would only delay them as a party, adding that the judge’s decision meant that their party should not exist in the absence of meetings and other related political gatherings. “How can you say a political party should not meet, so you’re saying the political party should not exist? Because if we do not meet how do we carry on with our day to day activities. This is an unrealistic injunction but in any case, we’ll wait on the advice of our legal team and see why such injunction is imposed on the party and then we’ll act accordingly.
Tunis stressed that they recognize that the term of office for the party’s current executive has expired but could not proceed with elections because of injunction on the party, adding that the plaintiffs are making any democratic process within the party difficult.
He said if the petitioners are “demanding for an executive to be replaced but you’re making it impossible for that to happen because of the very court action you’ve taken then I don’t know what else you want,”
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