The candidate of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Mohamed Turaya Kamara has won the just concluded Council election in Ward 192 in Kambia District, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, National Electoral Commission (NEC) declared on Tuesday March 9, 2021.
Mohamed Kenewui Konneh made this disclosure during a press conference held at NEC headquarters, Tower Hill in Freetown.
He said that the vacancy was reported by the Chief Administrator of the Kambia District Council following the death of Councilor Alpha Sannie Kamara (RIP), Councilor of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) party representing Ward 192 in the Kambia District, which sad event took place on Saturday December 2020.
He said that by the power vested in him under section 33 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, Act No. 6 of 1991, and pursuant to the provisions of sections 69(1) and 70 (1) of the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No 4 of 2012); Section 10 (1) of the Local Government Act, 2004 (Act No. 1 of 2004), one Local Council bye-election was successfully conducted by NEC on Saturday March 6, 2021, in accordance with the relevant electoral legal framework.
Three Political parties contested the Ward Bye-Election. Namely: All People’s Congress (APC), NGC and SLPP.
Analysing the results, the National Returning Officer said that 17 polling station results had been entered into the result database, representing 100% of all polling centres in the Ward. He added that the voter turnout was 1, 978 out of a voter register of 4, 551, giving a perception turnout of 43.5%.
The total number of valid votes cast was 1, 863; There were 115 invited votes, representing 5.8% of the total votes cast.
“Kamara Abu Saine scored valid votes of 608, representing 33%. Kamara Francis Ibrahim has 483 votes, representing 26%, and Kamara Mohamed Turaya has 772 votes, representing 41%,” he said.
“Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred on me as National Returning Officer, by section 94 subsection 4 of the Public Elections Act, 2012, I hereby declare Kamara Mohamed Turaya of the SLPP, who having polled the highest number of valid votes cast, duly elected Councilor of Ward 192, Constituency 057, in the Kambia District.”
He said that since he assumed office, apart from the Western Area Urban, he had conducted elections in all the regions. “We are grateful that all of these elections have been conducted peacefully and results accepted by all parties.” He added that “this is another testimony that in Sierra Leone, we can be peaceful if we want to be, and that we can take violence out of politics if we have to. We will continue to appeal to Sierra Leoneans, and Politicians that elections can be done without violence if we want to maintain peace”.
He stated that the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) provided adequate security in all the polling centres in Ward 192, adding that Political Parties’ agents, the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), the Office of National Security (ONS), the National Commission for Democracy (NCD), the National Election Watch (NEW), Civil Society Network (CSN), Election Conflict Prevention and Mediation Group and Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) observed the Bye-Election on polling day and the tallying of results at the District Council Hall, Kambia.
He said that media houses like the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Radio Kollenten, Radio Barming, amongst other stakeholders also observed the polling and tallying process at the polling station level and at the District Council Hall, respectively.
By Stephen V. Lansana
11/03/2021. ISSUE NO: 8018