By: Ilyasa Baa
The out-gone Mayor of the Freetown Municipality, Yvonne Aki Sawyer has dispelled rumors that she is going for the Running Mate position to team up with Dr. Samura Wilson Kamara noting that her interest lies in rerunning for the Mayoral seat and not what people are hyping in several social media platforms.
According to her, it has never come from her that she wanted the Running Mate position; it is people who think she is fit for that.
” I never issued flyers on the running mate race, I have sent a consistent message that I am running for Mayor, if you are invited to serve, it will be an honor to serve”, said the out gone Mayor.
It could be recalled that Aki Sawyer declared her intention for the Mayoral position on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, and pleaded with Freetonians for a second chance to serve as Mayor having operated under tense circumstances citing her ups and downs within the corridors of the police station, Criminal Investigation Department and the law court to answer to diverse allegations.
She said she achieved much of her manifesto promise she made in 2018 bluffing that under her administration Freetown was transformed by erecting market structures, and public toilets across the Municipality and creating over three thousand jobs in the areas of sanitation and tree planting.
However, critics cast aspersions on her saying she failed woefully in the area of controlling street trading. Her response to this criticism is that the issue of street trading has been endemic in the capital city where people have largely migrated to without jobs. She blasted the government for failing to create factories in the districts which she said would have salvaged the situation.
“We have hungry and desperate people who I cannot control took to street trading”, she noted, adding that she is 100% convinced that she will come again as Mayor with her clarity of strength, dedication, commitment and experience. She challenged that there is not a single Ward from 399 to 446 without the footprint of the Council in terms of development.
She maintained that she would not comment on the hype about Mohammed Gento Kamara vying for the Freetown City Council Mayoral seat under the ruling party.