By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Electoral Commission (SLAJEC) has overturned the result of the leadership election for the Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL).
The election which was conducted on November 30th 2019, ended up in a dispute, with the losing candidate for the presidency complaining irregularities.
The election was held in Kenema, as part of the organization’s annual general meeting.
Femi Jarrett Caulker was announced winner against Mariama Khai-Fornah. The Khai-Fornah camp contested the credibility of the elections, especially highlighting issues surrounding the voter list.
The decision by the SLAJEC came at the end of a lengthy investigation into the conduct and processes leading up the election.
In a press statement issued by the electoral body on Thursday, April 16, signed by its chairman, James Tamba Lebbie, it said the election did not meet the threshold of a credible and transparent process.
“The majority of members who voted in that election were not eligible to vote when judged against the background of the criteria for eligibility to vote, pursuant to Article VII (A)(i) of the WIMSAL Constitution, coupled with what the National President said was agreed on in one of their meetings,” the statement reads.
It adds: “Moreover, there were no proof of evidence that the entire membership in the South and Eastern Regions are bona fide members of WIM-SAL.”
SLAJEC said the number of purported WIMSAL members who were not accounted for with evidence far exceeded the difference in votes between the two presidential candidates.
Tiana Alpha, who was president when the election was conducted, was at the center of the controversy as it was her executive that was responsible to compile the voter list, as per the constitution of the body.
Ms Alpha told Politico that she couldn’t comment on the report because she had not read it.
Femi also declined to comment on the issue, noting that her team was considering a line of action.
Aminata Finda Massaquoi, a spokesperson for the Khai-Fornah Camp, said they wouldn’t comment on the report until they officially receive it.
“We cannot comment on any social media report because when we filed in our petitioned, we did it formally and in person. So we expect SLAJEC to do same with the findings of the investigation. Until then, we don’t want to comment on it,” she said.
The dispute deepened the divide among female journalists in the country. It notably led to the disintegration of WIMSAL, with the establishment of a splinter group by supporters of the Khai-Fornah Camp. The new organization is called Women in Journalism Sierra Leone.
A date for the next election is expected to be announced by SLAJEC, if their report isn’t challenged.
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