July 2, 2021
BY PROBLYN JOHN ALPHA
The Paramount Chief of Soa Chiefdom Kono District Paramount Chief Emmanuel Torche Foyoh who also doubles as the Chairman Council of Paramount Chiefs Kono District has queried his chiefdom clerk for alleged corruption with regards a town chieftaincy election in Kamindu which ended in deadlock.
According to Paramount Chief Foyoh, his decision of querying his Chiefdom Clerk is as a result of him sharing old local tax papers to one of the candidates of the said election who is believed to have imported people in order to vote in his favour. Paramount Chief Emmanuel Torche Foyoh maintained that Kamindu which has only two councillors at the end of the said election pulled more than the expected voters owing to the fact that one of the candidates Tamba Thomas who does not dwell in Kamindu imported voters and as a result he had no option but to disqualify the whole electioneering process. According to the 2009 Local Government Act, candidate contesting in any town chieftaincy election must reside in the town he or she is contesting the election; but this was the contrary in the case of Tamba Thomas, the Paramount Chief of Soa Chiefdom opined.
He expressed dismay over the behaviour of the imported voters for not only disturbing the peaceful conduct of the said town chieftaincy election but went further and pelted stones on the town barray of Kamindu. That incident is said to have created the impasse.
When contacted to speak on the statement made against him by the Paramount Chief of Soa Chiefdom, Kono District, the Soa Chiefdom Clerk Tamba Senessie denied. Meanwhile Tamba Thomas also denied importing people to vote in his favour in the just conducted election that ended in deadlock.