By Septimus Senessie in Kono
Some political and civil rights activists in Kono, eastern Sierra Leone, have frowned at a move by the district council chairman distancing himself from a position paper released by councilors last month condemning the expulsion of Chief Samuel Sam Sumana from the governing All Peoples Congress (APC) party.
Councilors from both the Kono District council and the city council had, on March 16, signed the statement “strongly” condemning the expulsion of Sam-sumana from the APC. They referred to the party’s decision as "unconstitutional, unlawful and a breach” of its own constitution.
A week later, however, the district council chairman, Aiah Abdurrahman Richard Koninga, issued a counter statement distancing himself and his council from the earlier statement.
A recorded telephone conversation with Mr Koninga in a radio program on the Eastern Community Radio just last week indicates he actually confirmed being a signatory to the position paper. He is recorded as saying: “the position paper of 16th March was issued by my council [Kono District Council] and the City Council.”
But Chairman Koninga, in clear shift in position on the matter, now accused the journalist who conducted that interview of unprofessionalism for “recording my voice without my knowledge."
Public Relations Officer, Texters' Union in Kono district, Anthony Sam, said he was delighted that the journalist exposed the chairman, describing him as “a deceitful leader who has no moral grounds to stand for his people and a disgrace to the local government family in the country."
Sam said the chairman now had only two options; “to either apologize to his electorates or resign from the office of chairman as he is no longer fit to govern us.”
In his Press Release dated 23rd March, Chairman Koninga said the wordings in the position paper were too harsh and hard for the leadership of the APC party.
“I have therefore distanced myself and my council from that position paper," he said.
On the Eastern Community Radio programme, Koninga said as far as he was concerned, the decision of the APC to expel Sumana "was final and uncontestable.”
“I cannot condemn the decision of my party because the blessings that I am now enjoying are through it," he said.
He then alleged that his signature and those of his councilors were "merely forged by the Mayor of Koidu City Council." He accused Mayor Saa Emmerson Lamina of not being a true member of APC party, adding that that was why he (Lamina) went as far as contesting the decision of the party.
Furthermore, Koninga accused Mayor Lamina of embezzling over Le 200m, money, he said, that was meant for the Ebola fight in the district. The money, he claimed had come from World Vision in respect of a project written by the district Ebola task force.
But World Vision’s manager, Catherine Sillah debunked the chairman’s claims and denied that her organization ever gave money to the mayor in the name of fighting Ebola. Sillah referred to the allegations as "baseless, unfounded, untrue and one aiming at tainting the credibility of this organization.”
She said her organization does not operate with an individual but with groups, confirming that the Ebola task force indeed wrote a project proposal to them in February this year but that the only assistance they rendered was sponsorship for social mobilization, radio talk shows, and donation of a laptop computer.
Speaking to Politico, Mayor Lamina said chairman Koninga’s change of heart with regards the position paper does not only expose the later to public disgrace, ridicule and deceit, but also made him a laughing-stock. He said it`s an act of “the highest demonstration of betrayal and insincerity because he appended his signature to it himself.”
Lamina explained that the decision relating to the production and issuance of the controversial position paper was reached by both the district and city councils at one of their Ebola task force meetings.
"…that Mr. Koninga can publicly produce another Press Release condemning the initiative he initiated is really frustrating," Mayor Lamina said.
Denying any knowledge of the alleged Le 200m, the mayor said he would leave the chairman with "time, conscience and eternity as his judge."
© Politico 10/04/15
