By Kemo Cham
The planned inauguration of the newly elected headman of Waterloo has been postponed indefinitely thanks to a High Court injunction.
Leslie Oseh Whenzle, who was elected in September, was scheduled to take his oath of office today, Friday October 11, at a ceremony organized by the Western Area Rural District Council.
In a statement from the Council on Thursday, its spokesman cited a letter from the High Court ordering the Council to halt the planned inauguration “until further notice.”
“Elected Village Heads and their Supporters are informed accordingly and we are Sorry for any Inconvenience caused,” the statement signed by the WARD’s Ag. IEC Officer, Chernor Juldeh Bah, reads in part.
Mr Whenzle contested against two other people, Alusine Sesay and Elizabeth Betty. The race was largely between Whenzle and Alusine, who rejected the outcome, alleging, among others, that his main opponent benefitted from fake ballots.
A copy of the injunction by High Court Judge, Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens, said the injunction is in force for seven days following the perfection of the order. It also notes that the petitioner, Sesay, must file an undertaken in damages in the event that the court rules against his petition.
WARD’s spokesman, Chernor Bah, later Politico that they felt obliged, as a law abiding institution, to respect the court’s order. But he also said that they expected the court to respect the wishes of the people who had decided in an election whose outcome was certified by National Electoral Commission as the competent body.
“We are a law abiding institution, we want to respect the court, but we feel that the court should respect the voice of the people, and the NEC which has the mandate and which announced the result as conveyed by a letter to us,” said Bah on a telephone interview.
© 2019 Politico Online
