President Koroma’s strongest warning yet to APC NA

PRESS RELEASE

THE WASHINGTON D.C. APC CHAPTER ELECTIONS DEBACLE HEARING SESSION AND PRESIDENT ERNEST B. KOROMA’S STRONGEST WARNING YET TO NORTH AMERICA A.P.C. BRANCH.

BY AROLYN I. KOROMA, WASHINGTON DC-USA

September 29, 2010

THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN CHAPTER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OF SEPTEMBER 12, 2010, QUAGMIRE REVERBERATED AROUND THE WORLD. ON THE PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO THE U.S. TO ATTEND THE 65^TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION HE TOOK TIME OUT OF HIS BUSY SCHEDULE TO UNDERSTAND OR LISTEN TO BOTH SIDES. (PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS).

THE TWO PRESIDENTS ELECT MRS. YABOM THESLIM SESAY-KOROMA WAS WITH NORTH AMERICA EXECUTIVES WHO WERE COMING TO INTRODUCE HER AS THE WINNER, BUT ALREADY WITH THE PRESIDENT DR. ERNEST KOROMA AT THE MILLENNIUM HOTEL IN NEW YORK, WERE MR. ABDUL BERO KAMARA’S TEAM WHO CAME TO INTRODUCE THEIR PRESIDENT ELECT AS WELL, AND TO REGISTER THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING THE ELECTIONS IRREGULARITIES.

PRESIDENT DR. ERNEST B. KOROMA WAS INTERESTED TO HEAR FROM BOTH SIDES AND ASKED FOR MRS. YABOM THESLIM SESAY-KOROMA’S TEAM.  AT THAT TIME PRESIDENT ELECT MRS.YABOM T. SESAY-KOROMA WAS WITH THE N/A NATIONAL AND NOT WITH HER EXECUTIVES. SHE WAS AT THIS TIME ASKED TO COME IN ROOM 3738 AND JOIN THE ELECTION HEARING SESSION.

PRESIDENT ERNEST B. KOROMA ACTED AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HEARING SESSION. HE STARTED HIS OPENING REMARKS BY RECOGNIZING THE FACT THAT MRS. YABOM THESLIM SESAY-KOROMA WAS ALONE. AS A RESULT THE SPEAKERS MUST BE LIMITED TO ONLY THOSE PRESENTING THE ELECTION CASE, HE CANNOT COMPROMISE THAT, THE PRESIDENT SAID.

THE ISSUE OF THE ELECTION MUST BE FOCUS ON THE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS, BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE AREA BOTH PRESIDENTS ELECT AGREED, SAID PRESIDENT KOROMA (CHAIRMAN).

MRS. YABOM SESAY-KOROMA WAS ACCOMPANIED BY CHAIRMAN ALHASSAN AZIZ TURAY, WHO’S PRESENCE WAS VITAL.

BOTH PRESIDENTS ELECT ADDRESS ISSUES:

BOTH PRESIDENT ELECT WERE GIVEN TIME TO PRESENT THEIR CASE TO PRESIDENT ERNEST KOROMA.

MADAM YABOM THESLIM SESAY-KOROMA AND MR. ABDUL BERO KAMARA AGREED ON THE NAMES, FUNCTIONS AND THE CONDUCT OF THE ELECTIONS.

PRESIDENT E.B. KOROMA WOULD LIKE TO BE PROVIDED WITH THE ELECTION OUTCOME AS SUBMITTED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS. AT THE END OF THE DAY IN ANY ELECTIONS IT IS THE PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE RETURNING OFFICER (RO) OF THAT ELECTION THAT GAVE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE RESULT OF THAT ELECTION. PRESIDENT KOROMA EMPHASIZED THAT, ALL THE RESULT HAS TO BE SIGNED BY THE THREE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS OF THOSE ELECTIONS.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS.

THE TOPICS BELOW WERE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL WITH THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE PRESIDENT DR. ERNEST B. KOROMA IN THE PRESENCE OF THE NORTH AMERICA CHAIRMAN MR. ALHASSAN AZIZ TURAY, PRESIDENT ELECT MRS. YABOM THESLIM SESAY-KOROMA, AND PREDIDENT ELECT MR. ABDUL BERO KAMARA, AND SOME OF HIS EXECUTIVES.

THE FINANCIAL HANDING OVER CEREMONY:

DR. JAFFARA TURAY HANDING OVER CEREMONY OF THE SUM OF TEN THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS (US$10,275.00) THAT WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT COLONEL IDRISSA KAMARA AND RECEIPTED BY PRESIDENT ELECT YABOM SESAY WAS QUESTIONED.  DR. TURAY’S JOB WAS TO CONDUCT THE ELECTIONS ONLY, AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULTS MUST BE DONE BY THE RETURNING OFFICER.

HE IS NOT PART OF AN INTERIM OR TRANSITION COMMITTEE. IT IS THE JOB OF THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM OF EXECUTIVES TO CONDUCT THE HANDING-OVER TO THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION SINCE THERE WAS NO ELECTED INTERIM COMMITTEE OR TRANSITION COMMITTEE.

TIME:

THE DURATION OF THE ELECTION WAS COMPROMISED DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND CHAPTER MEMBERS CONTROL. THE ELECTIONS WERE SCHEDULED TO START AT 1PM THRU-6PM, BUT VOTING STARTED AT 5PM.

GRIVIANCES/PETITIION:

THE GRIVIANCES/PETITIION FILED BY CONTENDING CANDIDATE PRESIDENT ELECT MR. ABDUL BERO KAMARA WAS IGNORED BY NORTH AMERICAN CHAIRMAN MR. ALHASSAN AZIZ TURAY’S ADMINISTRATION.

CHAIRMAN MR. ALHASSAN AZIZ TURAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ELECTION WINNER WAS PREMATURE DUE TO PROTEST/PETITION THAT WAS FILED BY THE OPPONENT MR. ABDUL B. KAMARA AND WAS IGNORED BY HIS ADMINISTATION.

1. THE DOCUMENTS OF DECLARATION OF THE WINNER MUST CONTAIN THE SIGNATURES OF THE THREE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS: DR. JAFFARA TURAY,

REV. SAMMY CONTEH AND MRS. FATAMATA

PETIQUOI. IN THIS CASE THE DOCUMENT LACKS THAT CONCENSCIOUS AND MERIT. ANYTHING SHORT OF THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE AS AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT.

EMAIL DOCUMENT SENT BY DR. JAFFARA TURAY WITHOUT THE UNANIMOUS CONSENT AND SIGNATURES OF THE THREE COMMISSIONERS DOES NOT PASS THE TEST OF A FAIR ELECTION AND HIS REPORT ALONE CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED.

2. NORTH AMERICA ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER, MRS. MAMUSU CONTEH-LUKE WAS STRICTLY TO HAVE BEEN ON AN OBSERVER STATUS. HER ROLE WAS NOT TO SUPERSEDE THE CHAPTER ELECTED ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS.

3.  MRS MAMUSU CONTEH-LUKE’S TAKING AWAY BALLOTS THAT WERE SUPOSE TO BE IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN CHAPTER WAS DECLARED WRONG AND UNACCEPTABLE.

4. MRS. MAMUSU CONTEH-LUKE (ELECTORIAL COMMISSIONER), AND MR. VICTOR SIMBO’S (N/A FUND RAISING DIRECTOR) JOBS DURING THE ELECTIONS WERE LIMITED TO OBSERVERS STATUS ONLY. THEIR JOB WAS TO OBSERVE IRREGULARITIES, NOTE OR WRITE AND SUBMIT THEIR OBSERVATIONS TO THE COMMISSIONERS AND TO THE CHAIRMAN MR. ALHASSAN AZIZ TURAY BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A WINNER. MR. VICTOR SIMBO WAS NOT A RETURNING OFFICER (RO) TO ANNOUNCE ELECTION RESULTS.

5.  THE BLOCK VOTE CAN ONLY BE ACCEPTED IF THE TWO PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ACCEPTED IT BEFORE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE ELECTIONS.

6.  THE MANY PICTURES AND HAND-SHAKE TAKEN BY MRS. YABOM SESAY-KOROMA AND MR. ABDUL B. KAMARA WAS ALSO DISCUSSED, BUT NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE AS TO ITS MERIT AS A SUBMISSION OR CONCESSION.

JOB ASSIGNED TO THE AMBASSADOR:

PRESIDENT DR. ERNEST B. KOROMA ASSIGNED THE JOB OF HELPING TO CORRECT AN ELECTION WERE EVERYTHING WENT WRONG TO THE SIERRA LEONE-UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR H. E. BOCKARIE K. STEVENS TO SUMMON THE THREE ELECTORIAL COMMISSIONERS: DR. JAFFARA TURAY, REV. SAMMY CONTEH AND MRS. FATMATA PEITQUOI TO HIS OFFICE EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY IN OTHER TO DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION RESULT, BECAUSE THEIR FUNCTIONS WERE ACCEPTED BY THE ELECTORATE AND PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS BEFORE GOING TO THE POLLS.

THEY MUST AT THE END OF THE ELECTIONS SUBMIT THEIR REPORT WHICH MUST CONTAIN THE SIGNED DOCUMENT CONTAINING THE RESULT OF THE DECLARED WINNER.

WARNING TO APC NORTH AMERICA:

IN CLOSING PRESIDENT DR ERNEST B. KOROMA SAID, IN THE APC, WE ARE A FAMILY AND NOT ENEMIES. ISSUES SHOULD BE SETTLED WITHIN AS A FAMILY. I HAVE A PILE OF EMAILS WITH UNACCEPTABLE LANGUAGE BEING USED. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

 I GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT YOURSELVES.  THE AMBASSDOR H.E. BOCKARIE K. STEVENS WILL DO EVERYTHING TO SUBMIT THE RESULT TO RESOLVE THE MATTER. OTHERWISE, AS A LEADER I WILL NOT ADD A MEMBERSHIP THAT IS NOT ADDING VALUE TO THE A.P.C. PARTY. WE CAN EITHER ASK ALL OF YOU OUT AS A GROUP OR AS AN INDIVIDUAL SINGLED OUT AND EXPEL YOU FROM THE APC PARTY. I HOPE YOU WILL NOT CAUSE THAT ACTION TO BE TAKEN.

… IN THE END IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PARTY, IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. IT IS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIERRA LEONE, HE CONCLUDED.