By Stephen V. Lansana
Angry youths in Bo City, the stronghold of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) have on Monday, June 19, 2023, burnt the office of the Main Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) situated along Gbaiama Road, in Bo City, in the Southern Region of Sierra Leone.
The APC regional office is located at the back of Blind School, Gbaiama Road which is not far from the resident of the SLPP Mayoral Candidate, and the new unfinished SLPP office. All of the offices are located in the same vicinity. Both APC and the SLPP are accusing each other of the burning of the office. The APC party is accusing the ruling SLPP of setting their office ablaze, whilst the SLPP believes that it is the APC that has set their own office ablaze to cause political tensions in Bo and attract the attention of the international community.
An eyewitness [Name withheld for personal securityy] who lives in the same neighborhood said that it was the APC who first started pelting stones towards the resident of the SLPP Mayoral Candidate, Kobba Musa, thereby leading to the unrest. He cannot ascertain or identify the specific group that burnt the APC office.
The Regional Publicity Secretary South of the APC, Adikali Alie Suma claimed that the Sierra Leone Police and the SLPP Mayoral candidate were the brain behind the deadly attack.
“Today [June 19th] is our day to campaign in Bo, but SLPP thugs grouped themselves at the Junction [closer to the SLPP building] and targeted any members of the APC that comes from the office,” he alleged.
He said that the Police failed to protect their office not to be burnt down, and disclosed that the vehicle which the party is using to facilitate all electioneering processes was also burnt with property worth billions of Leones.
APC Regional Publicity Secretary said that the allegations of the SLPP are baseless and unfounded. “This is not the first attack, I have video evidence to substantiate reality. Today is APC campaign day, what is their [SLPP] mission to regroup together?” he asked. “Did we ever attempt to burn their party office?”
He said that “instead of the Police telling them the truth that today is not their day they have no right to group themselves, they were the seals.”
He called on the international community to intervene, adding that elections should be put on hold.
The mayoral candidate for the ruling SLPP, Kobba Musa described the situation as rather unfortunate. He said that each time the APC members rally to their office, they have pelted stones at his resident.
“Recently [Thursday, June 8, 2023] when the APC was rallying to their office, they pelted stones at my house. Today again, they planned to attack me. If the Police and the youths were not around to come to my aid, they [APC] would have attacked me, destroyed my family and burned down my house,” he said. “For the past two weeks they [APC] have been attacking my house as if I am the only candidate in Bo City.”
He said that he thinks he is under constant attack because he is the leading candidate of the SLPP in Bo.
He claimed that he has received several threats from APC members. “I feel threatened,” he said.
He denied the allegation that he behind the burning of the APC office. “I was at the Police Station when I received a call that my house is under attack.”
He said that the APC office is closer to his house, adding that “each time they are rallying, as soon as they reach around my house, they will start pelting stones.”
He said that he had never provoked any situation when the APC members were rallying to the SLPP office because he is a peaceful person, adding that he usually controls his members.
He said that the APC is causing problems in Bo for the international communities to have negative perception about the SLPP.
He called on members of the APC and SLPP to maintain peace in Bo, adding that if Bo is not peaceful, it will affect everyone living here.
Effort to contact the Police proved futile.