At a meeting which took place at the Office of National Security (ONS) last Monday, with the leaderships of the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) in attendance, the National Security Coordinator (NSCoord) of ONS, Abdulai Caulker, noted that “the Security Sector is poised to curb lawlessness and indiscipline” in the country as the June 24 general elections are just around the corner.
He encouraged all supporters of political parties to remain law abiding and pledged the Sector’s commitment to provide the level playing field for all political parties to function without fear or favour.
Mr Abdulai Caulker said he was pleased with the dialogue session between the Security Sector and a cross section of the APC leadership. He emphasized on the relevance of the rule of law and encouraged all and sundry to follow the due process whenever the need arises.
The NSCoord encouraged the APC leadership to always ensure that their supporters abide by the rules whenever they were required to. He further reminded the APC that, like other political parties, they had signed up to several non-violence and peace communiqués which must be respected by all and at all times. Mr Caulker also informed the meeting that the Security Sector would be holding a meeting shortly with all registered political parties on non-violence before the commencement of political campaigns for the June 24 general elections.
Those in attendance were the PPRC Chairman Abdulai Masiaday Bangura; the Inspector General of Police William Fayia Sellu; Madam Yvonne Aki-Sawyer (former Mayor of the FCC); the APC National Secretary General Lansana Dumbuya; the APC National Organizing Secretary Bai Mahmoud Bangura, and the APC Publicity Secretary Sidie Yayah Tunis.
The meeting came about after supporters of the APC clashed with police personnel around the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL)’s Tower Hill headquarters, in Freetown, on Monday 1 May 2023 when the APC Presidential Candidate, Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, was nominated at the ECSL headquarters.