By Mabinty M. Kamara
Officials of All Peoples Congress (APC) Party will today 17th September 2021 meet in the northern headquarter town of Makeni to adopt their party’s repealed constitution that will take them to the 2023 elections. The conference will end on 19th September 2021.
This is after Justice Adrian Fisher of the High Court in Freetown on Monday 9th September 2021 ordered the party to conduct an emergency convention no later than 31st August this year.
The APC went to court after one of their members from the United States sued them for lack of democratic principles. Alfred Peter Conteh had vowed to instill reforms in the party because he is of the notion that their conduct was outdated and undemocratic.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary Sidi Yayah Tunis in an interview with Politico said the party had amended its constitution, bringing in some reforms to make it more democratic and participatory as popularly demanded by its members.
He said the convention is purely for the party to adopt its new constitution following calls by members for a strengthening of the party’s internal democracy. “So this constitution made that possible and also creates provision to make the party more inclusive and provide a level playing field for people to contest for offices, and it also provides room for more accountability and transparency within the party,” Tunis said.
He added that the convention will among other things help bring and reenergize the spirit of party members since it has taken a long time to host such a meeting.
The Party according to Tunis last had a delegates’ convention in 2017 and was about to have another in Port Loko in 2020 when the court slammed an injunction on it, bringing everything to a standstill.
The Sierra Leone Police has in a press statement laid down a number of restrictions around the congress as agreed in a resolution reached at a meeting between the Police, Chairman of the Political Party Registration Commission in a meeting on the conduct of the convention.
The statement noted that supporters, members and followers won’t be allowed to carry banners displaying support for anyone during the conference.
“No member or person is allowed to put on T-shirt with body images of party members or officials within the precincts and immediate vicinity of the conference venue,” the statement reads, adding that only accredited members will be allowed access to the venue of the conference.
Copyright © Politico Online (17/09/21)
