By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) has ordered the Transitional Interim Independent Elections Management Committee (TIIEMC) of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) to conduct rerun elections in Constituencies 111, 106 Western Rural, 040 Falaba, 045 Koinadugu and 092 in Bonthe.
The commission in a notice made public on Monday 24rd January disclosed its stance on petitions received from aggrieved members of the APC opposing the conduct and outcome of both a number of the Constituency and Executive elections and some of the rerun Ward elections.
PPRC narrated how after receiving the petitions, TIIEMC and the Interim Transition Governance Committee (ITGC) of the party were immediately notified, advising the TIIEMC to put on hold on all constituency and executive elections slated for the 19th January 2023, pending the hearing and determination of both the petitions and the application before the Court.
The petitioners had complained to the commission that the delegates’ lists were tampered with, and the names of delegates duly elected as ward executives substituted by names of people that did not win or did not even contest in those elections.
They also expressed concern about people whose names they said were not in the candidate lists, but were allowed to contest. In that regard, the ITGC came out with a statement to that effect, promising to publish the complete list, but they were however said to be caught up with time and couldn't publish the updated candidature list as promised.
Therefore, the PPRC resolved with the TIIEMC that candidates whose names were not in the list, but could present their party membership cards and/or evidence of payment of their candidature fees, should be allowed to contest. But the commission realized that the ITGC did not communicate its agreement with TIIEMC to the candidates, which led to the same issue appearing in all the petitioned cases.
The commission also highlighted in the notice that the petitioners claimed that there were candidates who were not allowed to vote for themselves, and candidates not adequately educated that, at constituency level, only the ward executives that are duly elected in the constituency and the Councilors representing those wards were eligible to vote.
Petition also centred on candidates submitting applications for two or more positions, acts of violence and block voting.
PPRC says most of the grounds canvassed by the petitioners were untenable and informed on misconceptions, and inadequate information from the ITGC.
It also realized that most of the petitioners were neither candidates, nor delegates in the elections they petitioned. It further stated that some of the petitioners grossly misconducted themselves at the Polls and then thereafter ran to the commission with “frivolous” petitions, on vexatious grounds.
PPRC was of the view that it’s a calculated ploy to use petitions to derail the internal processes of the party, by some of its disgruntled members.
It therefore assured the TIIEMC that they are at liberty to conduct the district executive elections in all the remaining twelve electoral districts unaffected by the ruling at any appropriate time.
The TIIEMC was urged to equitably share the constituency executive at constituency 128 where there was a tie between the two sides and to also conduct a raffle draw where there is no consensus.
The Political Parties Regulation Commission is a creation of Section 34 sub section1 of the 1991 Constitution, as amended by Constitutional Instrument No.22 of 2022.
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