The November 17, 2012 presidential, legislative and local council elections were so peaceful and fair that every international observer team and local elections monitoring group described it as a model for well-conducted elections that satisfied all international benchmarks for free, fair and credible elections. From the Carter Centre, to the Commonwealth Observer Group, to the European Union ( EU) and the African Union Observer teams , to the Sierra Leone Elections Watch and to even international and local peace guarantors and stakeholders —All of them concluded that the elections were free and fair and that whatever irregularities were there, were few and isolated and could not have influenced the result in any way. Even a joint U.S/UK statement congratulated Sierra Leone for staging what they described as peaceful elections.

CONFUSED MAADA BIO AND HIS RUNNING MATE KHADI SESAY . THEY WERE SENT TO THE CLEANERS BY THE APC

In signs to demonstrate that they supported the reports of the international and local observers, presidents and heads of governments and international organizations  around the world , including  U.S .President Barak Obama , the Secretary General of the UN , Mr. Ban Ki-Moon and the AU Chair , Mr. Boni Yayi , have congratulated President Ernest Bai Koroma for his victory and pledged to continue working with him and the country. In fact, while the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) were holding their executive council elections today, the AU Chair ,Mr. Yayi was in Freetown to congratulate President Koroma and in a very telling acknowledgement told the entire continent  of Africa recognizes him as the President of Sierra Leone.

While all this was going on, Sierra Leone’s immature and irresponsible opposition SLPP were busy with their sore losers’ antics once again. A party that never accepts defeat and is known for inviting the army to stage a coup in 1967 after being soundly beaten by the APC , were at it again, protesting that the elections were unfair.  THIS IS NOT WHOLLY SURPRISING TO ANY SIERRA LEONEAN. WHO DID NOT KNOW THAT THE SLPP WOULD HAVE REFUSED THE PEOPLE’S VERDICT ? IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS PREDICTED BY MOST JOURNALISTS AND POLITICAL OBSERVERS YEARS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS , BASED ON THE SLPP’S LACK OF GAME SPIRIT.

Now, they have added another touch of farce to Sierra Leone’s well-applauded democratic renaissance by asking their elected representatives in parliament and local councils not to take their seats until further notice. Why has the SLPP  decided to defy international and local conclusions that the elections were free, fair and credible ? Why has the SLPP  decided to boycott the verdict of the people ? The reason, as stated above,  is clear and COCORIOKO  has been drumming this home to you for over seven years—The SLPP is selfish, bigoted, immature , uninterested in the nation’s progress, will never accept defeat  and are living in their own world.

READ THE RIDICULOUS STATEMENT PUT OUT BY THE SLPP TODAY

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The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) met on Tuesday November 27, 2012 to discuss the 2012 elections.
The NEC resolved as follows:
· The NEC strongly condemns the refusal of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to address the electoral irregularities including fake and unstamped Reconciliation and Result Forms, pre-marked ballot papers, ballot stuffing and over-voting in Kono, the Western Area and the Northern Province and more other instances of malpractices which undermined the credibility of the results.

· We demand the unconditional release of all SLPP members and supporters who are currently in police custody.

· In the spirit of reconciliation, we also call on Government to nolle prosequi all pending political matters in our local courts.