By Abu Bakarr Bah in Freetown and Mohamed Vandi in Kenema
In a fast-moving development, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
party has expelled one of its presidential aspirants, Mohamed Pateh
Bah. It followed Pateh's self-proclamation at the Kamboi Night Club
in Kenema over the weekend as the party's flag bearer for November's
presidential election.
Alex Vandi, NDA Kailahun District chairman told Politico
that the move to have Pateh as their presidential candidate was legitimate
since “the gathering constituted delegates and party executives
from all over the country” adding, “nobody will challenge that
decision".
Alpha Bah from Kambia District said that those who had planned to destroy
their party were put to shame, since they now had got their
candidate.
He thanked Pateh for coming to their aid by providing them lodging,
feeding and transportation to return to their locations.
NDA Spokesman, Chernoh Bah told a news conference in Freetown yesterday
that Pateh was no longer a member of the party and that he had been
expelled because of “violence and lawlessness”. He said his
actions started on 29 August this year during a meeting in Waterloo
of the party's parliamentary aspirants which he allegedly disrupted.
He also “hired thugs the following week to disrupt a press
conference at the party’s headquarters as a result...we called in
the police to evict them from our party’s headquarters” according
to the party's spokesman.
Chernor said that after the party’s secretariat had reviewed the
applications of presidential aspirants, Pateh, who joined the NDA in
July this year, was disqualified for late registration, while Rachael
Largao, Mohamed Sheriff and Alhaji Wurie Musidal were approved as
duly qualified to aspire. He said that as the party prepared to hold
its convention in Kenema last weekend, Pateh transported armed OSD
police officers and hundreds of “thugs” from Brookfields and
Lumely to disrupt the convention, which “created tension at the
convention centre”.
Bah said the police Local Unit Commander in Kenema, David Koroma and the
Regional Monitoring officer of the Political Parties Registration
Commission in Kenema, Victor Hugo warned NDA leaders to postpone the
convention. He said that after party leaders and delegates had left,
Pateh declared himself flag bearer of the NDA.
The NDA has meanwhile accused Minister of Internal Affairs, Musa
Tarawallie of sponsoring Pateh Bah to disrupt the convention. The
party has expressed alarm that armed police officers would be
assigned to a member of a party without the knowledge of the Party
Secretariat.
Pateh has denied allegations that he transported thugs to disrupt the
convention in Kenema saying they were his supporters. He said the
delegates endorsed him as the party’s flag bearer for the 2012
Presidential Elections.
PPRC Regional Monitoring Officer in Kenema, Victor Hugo told Politico
that he wasn’t aware of any such endorsement of Pateh Bah
describing his claim as “illegitimate”.
Meanwhile about 300 delegates to the NDA party conference were left stranded in
Kenema from 7 - 9 September after their meeting was called off by the
PPRC after they had convened for a national delegates' conference.
One delegate from Allen Town in Freetown, Zainab Kamara complained that
since they arrived in Kenema nobody provided them with lodging,
feeding and other necessary facilities. She said the executive
members who invited them were nowhere to be found, and that they had
to struggle by themselves for two days until when one of the flag
bearer aspirants came to their aid.
Memunatu Tarawally from Lower Bambara said they were neglected by their party
executives and thanked Mohamed Patel Bah who she said rescued them
from hunger and starvation. She said that their party “nearly
collapsed due to this ugly development”. She said that “the
national executive invited us to come and they abandoned us”.
© Politico 11/09/12
