By Jessica Younghusband
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) in its bid to ensure another rigged elections in favour of the now ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) come 2023, has promoted all staff known to be staunch supporters/members of the SLPP.
The intention of the SLPP-dominated and infested Commission to prepare very early in executing their dastardly plans of rigging like it happened in the just-concluded 2018 general elections was made known in an official memo sent to all senior staff including District Electoral Commisioners (DEOs), Assistant District Elections Officers (ADEOs), Voter Education Officers (VEOs) from the Chief, Human Resources Office at NEC.
In the memo of 6th June 2018, it was glaring to note that all the Southerners known to be supporting the SLPP were promoted from ADEOs to DEOs while some VEOs were also elevated to the position of ADEOs.
In the same memo, known northerners were deliberately transferred to the South and not promoted even though they are very qualified and meet the requirements to attain such positions.
Apparently, all Southerners were promoted and posted to the North in glaring readiness to implement the rigging plans of Mohamed N’fah Alie Conteh, the Chief Electoral Commissioner of NEC, who is now on record to have conducted the most controversial elections ever in the history of Sierra Leone come 2023 to ensure that the SLPP which he (N’fah Alie Conteh) is now known to be supporting and also a member of, to continue in power even against the will of majority of the people of Sierra Leone as was the case in the 2018 General Elections.
Many staff of NEC have raised eyebrows and questioned the rationale for such a massive promotion of known SLPP operatives working as staff of the Commission.
Political pundits have viewed this recent move by NEC as suspicious as it points to a clear and carefully hatched plan to ensure the SLPP stays in power after 2023.
As this is brought to the attention of the international community and donor partners supporting NEC, the leadership of political parties including the main opposition party- APC which won the highest number of seats in parliament securing 68, as well as majority of local councils, have vowed to take up the issue with NEC and donor partners as this is a recipe for chaos and instability come 2023.
Many see this as a deliberate disregard by the Chief Electoral Commissioner – N’fah Alie Conteh for the stability and continued peace and democratic environment which the country has enjoyed all these years.
