Before voting at the Methodist Girls High School compound on Saturday 11th August, Awoko encountered the leader of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) Charles Francis Margai.
Among other questions we asked Mr Margai “What about talks of a possible run off?”
He answered “I do not envisage a run off but I suspect if there is one it will be between the PMDC and the APC”
We asked again “If there is a run off between the APC and the SLPP what will you do?” he answered “Well I shall give my members a free hand”
We followed through with the question “You will not ask them to vote one or the other?” he answered “No No No definitely not, I think they are matured enough to know where they should cast their vote for the good of Sierra Leone.
That is in the unlikely event in the unlikely event of SLPP … very unlikely (laughs).”
On that same day, we encountered the All Peoples Congress Party leader Ernest Bai Koroma at Goderich close to his house where he voted.
We asked him “Do you envisage a run off?” He answered “Well that is the worst case scenario I think if it happens then maybe we’ll go into it, but from the look of it I am confident, I believe that if the process is not manipulated if the results are not manufactured there is no way we’ll have a run off.”
He was asked again “Did officials from PMDC or any other party approach you last night to talk about any merger or giving any type of support?” he again answered “No we are not going into any merger, I have made the position very clear we have a working relationship with other political parties and the object is that the SLPP has not performed and we all have a common objective to ensure that there is a change of government I am going to effect the change and when I come in I am going to ensure that there is going to be a government of national unity.”
Apparently due to the changing political climate which now indicates that a run off is imminent the two leaders announced a working relationship on the occasion of the 62nd birthday of the PMDC leader Charles Margai which was aired over the BBC Network Africa program on Monday August 20, 2007.
Since then party officials say the two leaders (both Ernest and Charles) are under instructions not to give any press interviews until further notice.
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