What was supposed to be a mammoth welcome by supporters of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) southern district of their presidential flag bearer Rt. Brig. Maada Bio, over the weekend ended up with a serious fracas which saw the presidential aspirant being pelted with stones allegedly by supporters of the All People’s Congress (APC).
At about 4Pm Bo town was looking like a ghost town with people locked in their homes and traders packing their goods and shops hurriedly closed down with irate youths running helter skelter.
According to the programme Maada Bio was supposed to drive around the township on to Fenton Road which hosts the SLPP headquarters, but no sooner the SLPP flag bearer approached Mahen Boima Rd. where the office of the APC and PMDC is situated, Bio was greeted with stones instead of him greeting his supporters as was scheduled.
This resulted into serious confrontations between the SLPP and APC supporters and sources around disclosed that the secretariat of the APC was set ablaze. Maada Bio sustained multiple head damage according to the doctor’s report and the finger of guy who could not be identified was chopped off.
This however did not prevent the presidential flag bearer from addressing his supporters.
Taking the stage at the Bo Coronation Field Bio said: “I have shed my blood for the people of this country. I am asking all not to take part in any violence, we are not going to retaliate or attack because we have lives to protect.”
Rtd. Brig. Bio revealed that “the blood that I have shed is for the people of this country. We want peace in our country and we don’t want any kind of violence any more in this country, we have suffered a lot in the war that was brought by the APC.”
Maada Bio said that the SLPP is a party for all Sierra Leoneans that was why they fought for independence and brought democracy when the APC was practicing one party system of governance.
The Chairman of the occasion Alhaji Kanji Sesay said that the APC is panicking over the turnout of supporters of the flag bearer that is why they have engaged in such violent acts. He disclosed that they did receive intelligence that supporters of the APC were planning to disrupt this welcoming ceremony.
He said “when we got this message we went to the Inspector General who promised to deploy troop there to quell any situation that may arise.”
Mr Sesay said that they openly condemn this violence and that they are more than determined now to support Maada “the incident here is almost the same as the one that took place in Kono and the blood that Maada has shed is a bad omen for the APC.”
At the end of the programme the Secretary General of the Party Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sei told journalists that they condemn all such violence in the coming elections. He said that if such violent events had happened in the SLPP stronghold what will happen in the other regions especially in the North when campaigning is declared?
He also condemned police brutality and also the way at which police personnel do treat issues whenever violence occurs as they [police] were standing by while stones were being pelted at their flag bearer.
The Secretary General disclosed that whatever might have happened at the APC secretariat he believed is not done by the SLPP supporters as they were all in the field and Party office to welcome their leader.
Mr. Tejan-Sie called on the international community to give them the assurance that the 2012 elections will be done in a free, fair and transparent manner.
Earlier there was a large crowd of supporters in all streets and corners in Bo town with youths, men and women in their party colours to welcome their leader.
Some people Awoko spoke to said that they have made the right choice of choosing Maada as their leader. They said that the statement made by Charles Margai sent a message to the delegates that they should vote wisely and for Bio whom they said will take them to the promise land.
They expressed anger and frustrations over the high cost of living in the country and the fact that there was no salary increment. Before now they opined if you are paid one hundred and fifty thousand (Le150,000.00) Leones, it will take you close to the end of the month, but now that same amount cannot be used for one week. They complained that what had made the situation worse, is “they have taken our brothers and sisters out of the work forces so there is no hope for them.”
By Betty Milton
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