Sierra Leone News: APC Wins Election Petition Case
By: Mustapha Momoh
Justice Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens has on Thursday June 27, 2019, delivered judgement on the parliamentary election petition case between the petitioner Foday Sadiku Kallon and 1st respondent Roland F. Kargbo APC & others.
Delivering ruling on the March 2018 Parliamentary election petitioned cases filed at the High Court of Sierra Leone between the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC), Justice Alhaji Stevens stated that the honourable court dismissed the petition dated April 23, 2018, filed by the petitioner Foday Sadiku Kallon.
The Hon. Justice also stated that the Hon. Roland Foday Kargbo of the All Peoples Congress shall continue to represent constituency 064, Karene District, north-west area of the Republic of Sierra Leone in the House of Parliament.
The learned Justice ruled against the SLPP petitioner Foday Sadiku Kallon which brings an end to the matter except the Petitioner decides to appeal.
Also in the matter before Hon. Justice Komba Kamanda between the petitioner Alpha Fode Madie Jabbie (SLPP) of constituency 040 and the 1st respondent Alhassan Jero Kamara (APC) and others in Falaba District, the learned judge ruled that the 1st respondent Alhassan Jero Kamara of the APC was not duly elected or returned as Member of Parliament for Constituency 040 in Falaba District and therefore ruled by invalidating the said election and ordered for a rerun election in Constituency 040.
On the other file between Sahr Francis Gbondo (SLPP) vs. Tom Tucker (APC) & Others (NEC), for Constituency 022, Kono District, the learned Judge, Hon. Justice Komba Kamanda dismissed the application of A. Showers Esq. The Judge dismissed the said application and ordered for the matter to proceed to trial. The matter was adjourned to July 11, 2019.
Upon the hearing of the judgment, one of the counsels for the petitioners Ibrahim Fayia Sawaneh Esq. stated that “the law is supreme and must be respected at all times.”
“We now have a Judiciary from which we can find recourse unlike what used to happen during the past regime. We have seen under this current regime, the ruling SLPP party loosing petition cases on merit to the opposition APC,” he said.
This, he said, was never seen under the APC regime of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. “At last, we are now experiencing the independence of the Judiciary which is very key,” he concluded. Other counsels for the petitioners are I. Kanu Esq. and M. Kenneh Esq.
