Freetown High Court No. 1 Judge Adrian Fisher ruling in the case, APC Vs. Alfred Conteh, yesterday granted the extension pleaded by Secretary General Osman Yansaneh and ordered the All People’s Congress ( APC ) to hold their EMEGENCY national delegates conference from September 17-19, 2021.
The Judge gave 14 Orders including for an extension of time to hold APC National Delegates Conference (NDC) on 17th to 19th September 2021.
The most important Order concerns the immediate creation of a 21-Member Special Committee responsible to organize elections and organise the NDC to be constituted.
APC Current Executive should submit 9 names of their choice plus one more name acceptable by all as a respected Elder of the APC and who will be the Chairman of the Elections and NDC Committee.
Plaintiff Alfred Peter Conteh should submit 4 names and one of them will be submitted to act as the Secretary to the Committee.
The party’s Diaspora Wings should submit 3 names
The entity known as NRM should submit 2 names
The entity known as BIG-6 should submit 2 names.
The names of above committee members should be submitted to Court and PPRC no later than 4PM on August 11th 2021.
Any group which does not submit their names prior to 4PM on Wednesday coming (ie: Next Tomorrow 11th August) will automatically forfeit the right to be on the Committee responsible for organising Elections and National Delegates Conference.
HERE IS A REPORT BY TITUS BOYE-THOMPSON
IT WAS THE APC THAT WON THE DAY
Justice Fisher’s ruling this morning at High Court No.1is yet to be digested by stakeholders of the All Peoples Congress, the litigant in chief, Alfred Peter Conteh and the other antagonists named in the ruling such as the NRM and the Big Six.
What is not in doubt however is that all these people claim to want the APC restore itself as a party of government and as such, it is clear that on the granting of an extensiom to hold a national delegates conference to adopt the Party’s new draft Constitution, it was the APC that won the day in court.
The Judge’s ruling was not without a clear caution and admonishment to the Party’s Secretary General and this was made in such serious terms as for the National Secretary General of the APC, Ambassador Alhaji Osman Foday Yansanneh to be left in no doubt of the seriousness of court orders to the extent that the Judge has nor directed that several very important tasks in the completion of these present ruling are placed on his shoulders.
The entirety of the Judge’s ruling this morning at the High Court No 1 was for the grant of an extension of time for the ruling handed down on 19th April 2021 to be fully complied with.
In a twist to the matter, it became apparent that the legal ambush by Lawyer Jengo for the plaintiff on the 4th August 2021 bore some fruit only to the extent that the learned judge called out and admonished the National Secretary General for making statements to the court in relation to instructingawyers to seek an appeal on his behalf but to the directions of the other matters, the Judge found that non compliance of the entire ruling was driven by the mistaken notion held by the NSG at the time that he had a reasonable chance of success on appeal. The Judge however accepted that the NSG was under severe pressure at the time and under the cirsumatances was minded not to penalise the NSG for an apparent contempt of court but to make his workload heavier and his responsibilities much further enhanced by tasking him as the focal person to superintend the entire process of meeting the key deliverables of his ruling today 9th August 2021.
On the matter of procedure, the Judge has now assigned the composition of the 21 member Committee thatbwould plan and execute all activities leading up to the National Delegates Conference to adopt the new draft Constitution as follows: the APC 9 + 1 Chairman who shall be a senior member of the Party but not a member of the current Executive; the plaintiff to nominate 4 members of which 1 shall be the Secretary of the Emergency Committee; the Diaspora branches of the Party to be represented by 3 persons, the NRM 2 and the Big Six, 2 members.
The above composition makes for a fair and broad representation of interests who, as the Judge was minded to observe, have expressed interest not only relating to concerns over plurality and transparency in the process but also have made representation with respect to internal dissent and tensions within the APC.
Sylvia Blyden, a vociferous political activist, publisher and former Minister in the last APC Government who was also in court was heard to express optimism that this is a step in the right direction because everything that would ensue from this judgement now has to be guided by judicial fiat. Other notable personalities in court included the Party’s Deputy Chairman and Leader, Minkailu Mansaray, former flag bearer of the Party at the last Presidential elections, Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, Diana Konomanyi, the iron lady of Kono and former Minister of Local Government, Sidi Yaya Tunis, Acting Publicity Secretary, Abdul Kareem Kalokoh, formerly of the Road Maintenance Fund, Alhassan Kanu formerly of Decentralization Secretariat, several MP’s, Councillors of the Freetown City Council and other party stalwarts and grassroots members.
The concluding sentiments after the hearing was that, whatever happens now, it is the APC that has won this and that once this National Delegates Conference is held, the APC would be in a better position to fight for a successful return to power in 2023.
©️Titus Boye-Thompson
Freetown 09.08.2021 18.16
APC DIASPORA COORDINATOR ADVISORY .
FROM THE NSG FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION .
TO: ALL CHAIR PERSONS OF THE DIASPORA BRANCHES OF THE APC.
Dear Comrade Branch Chairpersons Of APC in the Diaspora,
REF: HIGH COURT ORDERS OF HON. JUSTICE FISHER
Please bring to the attention of your Executive and Membership the court order issued today by Justice ADRIAN Fisher of the High Court Of Sierra Leone. Refer particularly to Order 1.4 directing that you in the diaspora nominate 3 persons to represent the entire diaspora on the APC Emergency National Delegates Conference Technical and Planning Committee. Note that the deadline for submission of the names of your nominees is Wednesday 11th August 2021 not later than 4:00 pm to the PPRC CHAIRMAN, “FAILING WHICH, THE RIGHT TO NOMINATE IS LOST. “
Note that I will forward an electronic copy of the court orders and a copy of the draft APC constitution as is required by the court order for your attention and necessary action.
Signed:-
Amb Dr Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh,
National Secretary General, APC.
Dated:- 9th August,20
Cc:
- The Chairman,Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC).
- The Chairman and Leader APC.
- The Deputy Chairman and Leader
APC. - The Legal Team.
5.
Logus Koroma Diaspora Coordinator,
Please forward to all the chairpersons Of branches of our party worldwide.
Signed
Amb Yansaneh
NSG APC.
Forwarded to :
- APC UK & I Branch
- APC USA Branch
- APC Canada Branch
- APC Holland Branch
- APC Germany Branch
- APC Australia Branch
- APC France Branch
- APC Denmark Branch
- APC Sweden Branch
- APC Norway Branch
- APC Greece Branch
- APC Turkey Branch
- APC UAE Branch ( Dubai )
- APC China Branch
- APC Malaysia Branch
- APC Kuwait Branch
- APC Guinea Branch
- APC Gambia Branch
- APC Guinea Bissau Branch
- APC Liberia Branch
