By: Audrey Raymonda John
Saidu Sesay, a candidate for the village headman at Charlotte Village has been Petition for alleged serious Electoral malpractice in respect of Village Head Election for Charlotte Village western
rural District, conducted on Saturday 28th October 2023.
According to the dissatisfied candidates for the just concluded headman elections, “we write with dismay and heavy heart about the electoral malpractice and the violation of electoral rules and regulations by Mr. Saidu Sesay a co-candidate of ours in the past elections conducted at charlotte Village on Saturday 28h October, 2023”.
According to Mr Dennis Valcassel who represented the three other candidates at a Press Conference, Mr Saidu Sesay violated the following rules and regulations which to their mind could be interpreted as a serious anomaly that makes his candidacy void and therefore not eligible for the elections.
He disclosed that the said malpractice and violation of electoral rules and regulations which would have led to serious chaos in their community could be stated as follows:
As a candidate for Charlotte village Headman elections, Mr Saidu Sesay was to be a registered voter for Charlotte village before becoming a qualified candidate for that election. However, on the day of pulling on Saturday 28th October, 2023, Mr. Dennis Valcarcel, Mr. Santigie
Kamara and Mr. Moses Vandi who are co-candidates with Mr. Saidu Sesay
including their numerous supporters discover that:
He was not a registered voter for charlotte village for any public
elections conducted or to be conducted by the electoral commission for
Sierra Leone for a village headman, Councilor, as parliamentary as well as presidential elections. Yet he went all out to be a candidate though they protested to the returning officer for Charlotte Centre (Code 15119) and the security personnel.
Secondly, Mr. Saidu Sesay did not even vote in that elections conducted on the 28th October, 2023. According to them, Saidu Sesay claimed that he was sick.
“Mr. Saidu Sesay is a registered voter for mogegba village which enjoys self-autonomy and for electoral purpose not for charlotte village”. He said
Mr. Saidu Sesay supposed to vote and be voted for at mogegba village only and
not at charlotte village.
“On a whole we the three candidates are collectively pleading with the Chairman Electoral Commission to hold on to the results and investigate this matter as it touches on our fundamental and constitutional right to vote and to be voted for in that elections”.
According to the 3 candidates this will also avoid chaos in
our community.
Efforts to get the side of ECSL and Saidu Sesay proved futile.
