Constituency-050 Parliamentary bye-election in Lunsar on Saturday was a minefield of accusations and counter accusations, as both aspirants of the All People’s Congress (APC) and Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) cried foul accusing each other of electoral malpractices and thuggery.
Speaking with Kamarainba on Sunday about the elections and the results, he said it was very intimidating saying that he was confined to his office and was unable to go out to see what was happening not until after 2pm when some Civil Society, PPRC and officials of the Office of National Security (ONS) came and intervened and spoke with AIG Daboh to give me security to move around.
He complained, “If you can examine the results I won in almost all the villages but in Lunsar Township they had more votes.”
He accused several APC Ministers of bribing the electorates but agreed that if it would have been a level playing field or the other way round he would have equally won.
Earlier on Saturday, speaking to APC contender, Osman Karankay Conteh on Election day, he accused the leader of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray of bribing electorates to vote in his favor.
“The ADP leader is moving around giving people Le10, 000 in some cases Le 5,000, after which he demands that the recipients must take an oath (swear) that they would vote for him. I have officially informed the NEC, the Police and the Political Party Registration Commission (PPRC) about these electoral malpractices,” Karankay complained.
Notwithstanding these malpractices, Karankay said he is confident that he is going to win the election. “My worry is not about winning the election, what gives me sleepless night is the magnitude in which I want to win. I want to make history, I want to win the election with a landslide victory that would be historic,” he said.
Confidently, he assured “whatever may be the case I’m on top of the situation.”
The APC aspirant also assured that whatever the outcome of the election; he will continue to remain APC.
Confronted with the allegations made by the APC candidate, the ADP leader, Kamarainba refuted all allegations of giving out bribes to the electorates. He said he offers water to his supporters since he was unable to cook for them.
The ADP leader and candidate complained that rocks were thrown at his car by a group of people in a vehicle with foreign number plate even though he was with an armed police security assigned to him by the police.
The ADP contender said he complained to the police, but the offenders were not arrested.
Assistant Inspector General (AIG) North West, F.U.K Daboh replied that this is a critical moment and arresting people will create unrest. Moreover he said he knows when and how to arrest and Kamarainba should not instruct him when to do so.
However, when it comes to the political game, for APC all games are considered as final; and this bye-election was no exemption.
Top brass APC true-red supporters stormed the Northern Town to render support in an election referred by most political pundits as ‘an election of great interest.’
“APC is trying to test its strength now, while the other party is trying to show that they’ve made in roads,” says the Chairman of the Independent Media Commission (IMC) Ambassador Alieu Kanu.
The National Electoral Commission’s (NEC) Notice of Poll showed 32 polling centers’ and 31,306 voters registered for the constituency 050 bye-election.
In Maria Ines Vocational Institute for women polling station alone in Lunsar there were 2,634 registered voters.
12 polling centers were in Lunsar Township while the rest were strewn across the outskirts of the constituency, which stretches from Mamasa to Rogberay.
Monday July 11, 2016
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