September 3, 2021
By: James Kamara-Manneh
Honorable Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumella Member of Parliament representing constituency 062 in Samu Chiefdom, Kambia district will appear before the Supreme Court today to decide his fate on the dual citizenship that he pioneered. The judgment is expected to be a land mark in the case between David Fornah and Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella & others at the main Law Courts Building in Freetown.
To the annoyance of many, during the 2018 general elections,the All People’s Congress announced that individuals with dual citizenship are not eligible to contest for any political position.
As the debate heats up, a member from the APC party David Fornah challenged the eligibility of Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella who contested as both Member of Parliament and the presidential aspirants under the National Grand Coalition (NGC) party.
Mr. Fornah filed the Petition in the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone in 2018 against Hon. Kandeh Yumkella as 1st defendant, and three others including the former National Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed N’fa Alie Conteh.
Fornah’s petition to the Supreme Court states that Hon. Kandeh Yumkella failed to follow the requirement stated in Act 13 of 1976 to ascertain his citizenship by writing officially to the Minister of Internal Affairs.
However, citizens await the decision from the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone on the fate of Kandeh Yumkella, while other Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora are keen to know whether its decision may or may not affect them.