By ade.campbell@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – After conducting lower level elections and its national convention, the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) in a meeting on 4th April, 2023 informed party executives of UP that the party “qualifies for deregistration”, based on conclusions of its investigations of non-conduct of lower level elections, as required.
With regards to this disclosure by the Executive Secretary of PPRC, the Leader of the Unity Party, Femi Claudius Cole has informed journalists at its party headquarters on Pademba road that the UP demanded the report of the investigation, the outcome as well as the minutes of the meeting held in which the executive secretary revealed that the party “qualifies for deregistration”.
She added that the PPRC is the parent body of political parties and that their primary role would be to encourage multiparty democracy and to promote and nurture the country’s young and still fragile democracy, but rather the commission seems to have become the judge and the jury, and the executioner of political parties, decimating political parties by creating obstacles to limit participation in the upcoming elections.
Femi Cole said despite fulfilling all the requirements Unity Party finds itself in the dragnet of the PPRC, which she noted has been earmarked for deregistration. With pictorial evidence including the presence of party executives from other districts, Madam Cole maintained that a letter of invitation to its lower-level ward, constituencies, and district executive elections were sent to the PPRC and a receipt of delivery from the PPRC is in the party’s way book.
Asked why the UP is targeted or earmarked for deregistration, the UP leader said knowing the standards to which many of the other younger political parties have been held, it appears that the Unity Party has been singled out, creating the suspicion that the goal of PPRC is to exclude UP from participation in the forthcoming elections as no petitions or complaints have been filed with the commission. “Our party cannot be intimidated; we will not succumb because we are Sierra Leoneans and UP is a registered party with full rights to participate in the elections”.
She noted that other parties are already in the nomination processes of their candidates which started on 19th April, and Unity Party has been unable to secure an appointment with the PPRC Chairman and his Commissioners despite numerous requests.
Femi Cole called on the commission to give the party opportunity to prove that lower-level, regional, and national elections were conducted democratically, in the interest of national unity and also respecting the rights of party members. AC/23/4/2023