Sierra Leone Telegraph: 02 July 2023:
The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) yesterday announced the results of parliamentary, local councils and mayoral elections which took place on 24th June 2023. The results are not only controversial but fraught with inaccuracies and fraud, as the Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed Konneh, attempts to legitimise the coronation of President Bio into office for a second term. (Photo above: Partners in crime – ECSL boss Mohamed Konneh and President Julius Maada Bio).
Even more glaringly obvious is the grotesque manipulation of the results of the Freetown Mayoral election which although shows that the former Mayor of Freetown – Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr won, yet the Chief Electoral Commissioner could not resist chopping off huge chunks of votes from Aki-Sawyerr in order to present the loser – ruling SLPP party candidate Mohamed Gento Kamara as close second with 268,213 votes (47.72 %), and Aki-Sawyerr 288,683 (51.36%).
This fraudulent manipulation of the mayoral election results is also mirrored across other results, in particular – the Presidential election which according to the rogue Chief Electoral Commissioner was won by President Bio.
A close analysis of the Western Area Urban Presidential results against the Western Area Urban Mayoral election results shows the APC presidential candidate Samura Kamara polling 290,723 and President Julius Maada Bio polling 177,339, with 468173 as total number of votes cast for both candidates.
So what should be expected is that the same total number of votes cast in the Western Area Urban presidential election should equal the total number of votes cast in the Western Area Urban Mayoral election. But surprisingly this is not the case as the Chief Electoral Commissioner in his fraudulent manipulation of the results had shamelessly struggled to make the figures balance.
In the Freetown Mayoral election, APC Aki Sawyer polled 288,683 and SLPP Mohamed Gento Kamara 268,213, totalling 556,896.
This shows that according to the Chief Electoral Commissioner, 88,723 more people voted at the mayoral election than the presidential election in the Western Area Urban.
But how can this be possible if not through the fraudulent manipulation of the election results by a rogue, partisan Chief Electoral Commissioner who has no business being appointed to the office of Chief Electoral Commissioner in the first place by a dodgy President – who is now the beneficiary of the Chief Electoral Commissioner’s fraudulent manipulation of the election results.Further analysis of the fraudulent manipulation of the results exposes the level of dishonesty and contempt shown by the president and his Chief Electoral Commissioner towards the people of Sierra Leone.
How can it be possible that there is such massive discrepancy in the results between the APC presidential candidate Samura Kamara and the APC Freetown mayoral candidate Aki-Sawyerr, with both representing the same party?
Samura Kamara polled 290,723 votes; Yvonne Aki-Sawyer polled 288,683. This shows that 2,040 more people voted for Samura than Aki-Sawyerr.
Examining the votes difference between SLPP President Julius Maada Bio and his Freetown mayoral candidate – Gento Kamara, with Maada Bio polling 177,339 and Gento Kamara polling 268,213, shows a variance of 90,774.
According to the ECSL, 90,774 more people voted for Gento Kamara than President Julius Maada Bo. How is this possible?
Clearly, the fraudulent and shameless Chief Electoral Commissioner has manipulated and manufactured an extra 90,000 ghost voters to shore up Gento Kamara’s votes so as to give the impression that he had come close to winning the mayoral election in Freetown.
Responding to the ESCL’s announcement of the results yesterday, this is what Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said:
“I’ve just heard the results for the 24 June 2023 election for Mayor of the Freetown Municipality, which was announced by the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh.
“I first, would like to thank the APC and Freetonians for their resounding confidence in me and my leadership, which was demonstrated unequivocally through the ballot box. I remain humbled to serve as leader of our great city.
“As someone who believes that the elections process is as important as it’s outcome, I had secured copies of more than 85% of Results and Reconciliation Forms (RRFs) from the polling stations in the Western Area Urban District. (Note that not all stations were open on voting day).
“Within 48 hours, I will present to the public copies of all the signed and stamped RRFs. I think it is important that those who stood in line and voted for Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and the APC in the Western Area Urban know that I as a candidate, appreciated and valued their votes and made sure I took account of them.
“Please take a look at this detailed presentation of the Western Area Urban voting pattern based on RRFs which shows that I received 66.5% of the valid votes from 85% of the polling centers in Freetown.
“You may be asking why I am doing this as I was declared winner. The answer is simple; for the records, for transparency and for accountability to the people of the Freetown Municipality.”