By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Public Relations Officer of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party in Pujehun district will appear before a Magistrate on Tuesday 7th December, 2021 to answer a six count charge in a case brought against him by the chairman of the district council Sheikh Sowa.
According to court papers seen by Politico, Councilor Alpha Kamara, who twice represented Gobaru chiefdom, is accused of threatening to kill the district council chairman at the party office in Pujehun. The other charges include ‘public insult and provocation, insulting conduct, common assault, abusive language and riotous conduct’.
Councilor Kamara is accused of ‘insulting and using provocative words’ against the District Council chairman, ‘in such a manner as would be likely to provoke him to commit a breach of the peace’.
Responding to the charges, councilor Kamara told Politico that he was surprised to have been issued a court summons over an altercation that occurred during a party meeting. He said he was the campaign chairman for Sheik S. Sowa when he ran for the chairmanship of Pujehun district council. A role he said gave him more enemies than friends. He said Sowa changed his posture on being elected.
Councilor Kamara said the PDC chairman was told of this change in his attitude towards them by another kinsman during a meeting called to galvanize support for Alex Bonapha who is vying for the national chairman position of the SLPP. According to him, this issue triggered a confrontation between the two and that he also had a say in the argument.
He said he reminded the district chairman of all the sacrifices they made to get him into power ‘even at the risk of losing friends’.
He added “So surprisingly, yesterday when I returned from work, I received a letter from the court in relation to that matter. I have called some senior party officials to inform them of the summons because some of them were the ones that lured me into supporting his candidature. I felt it so much and I am even ashamed of myself because of the toes I stepped on for his sake. I’m just too sad but he is paying me for the support I gave him.’’
Councilor Kamara said he has been approached by some relatives of the Chairman Sowa and other party members saying they wanted to resolve the matter at party level instead of going to court.
Party members in the district expressed surprise at the turn of events because ‘this is something that could have been dealt with by party elders in Pujehun or from the national office’.
Copyright © Politico Online 03/12/21
