By Aminata Phidelia Allie
The National
Democratic Alliance, NDA, may give up if the National Electoral
Commission (NEC) refuses to accommodate any new dates for the
nomination of its presidential and vice presidential candidates ahead
of the17 November polls.
The party could
only fill in candidates on Wednesday 10, 2012 for other positions
because a court case preventing it from doing so is being pursued by
Mohamed Pateh Bah, an expelled party member.
The long drawn-out
matter, which should have ended on Monday, has again been adjourned
to Monday 15 October, 2012, a day after the deadline set by NEC for
all nominations.
Lawyer for the
defendant, Bu-Buakei Jabbie said the interim injunction, which
suspended the nomination of NDA’s presidential ticket should be
time bound, adding that it should have ended on Wednesday 10, 2012
when the case was heard and should not go beyond that date.
Lawyer Jabbie
noted that the court obviously lacked jurisdiction to pass judgement
on the matter, therefore it should be referred to the Supreme Court
of Sierra Leone.
Leon
Jenkins-Johnston, for the plaintiff, said that by filing an affidavit
in opposition, the defendant “has lost his right to wave any
objection for the simple reason that he took a fresh step after
becoming aware of the irregularities about which he now seeks to
complain. Therefore, his application is not proper before the court.”
In an interview
with this press just after the court sitting, Jenkins-Johnston said
they were ready to go to the Supreme Court if the court ordered that,
adding that the injunction would continue until the hearing and
presentation of the application. “We are on the stronger side, we
do not come to court to lose,” he said.
When called up,
Pateh Bah told Politico
that he had no control over the court’s decision on the matter. He
expressed the hope that NEC would be flexible with them.
The party
spokesman, Chernoh Alpha Bah, said that the court case would not
affect NDA in any way.
“Only the
country’s democratic credential is affected,” he noted. He added
that “the independent institutions are being used by the APC to
undermine the country’s democracy.”
He pleaded with
those institutions to remain independent as they were the pillars
that should uphold the justice system of society.
Bah revealed that
the party and its supporters were planning a peaceful march to the
office of the Ombudsman, the Human Rights Commission and other
democratic institutions to register their dissatisfaction over their
“disenfranchisement”.
© Politico
11 October 2012
