May 4, 2021
By Aruna Kamara in Bo
The Member of Parliament in constituency 078 , Hon. Habib Keifa Fabba, has expressed his utter disappointment over the failure to conduct the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) lower level election in five out of the ten sections in Lugbu and Bagbo Chiefdoms in Bo District.
Hon Fabba told this medium that because the elections were not conducted, he claimed that the results were fabricated and submitted, adding that he himself as a political head in the constituency and the people who were disfranchised raised strong objection and demanded for an election in order to exercise their rights to vote and to be voted for.
‘’Our objection to the cooked results were over ruled and I have not seen the election report, and that the same action was done in the chiefdom election as well, marred by violence with evidence of tear gas canister discharged that I brought to the police station,’’ he said.
He added that he has made an official report to the party structure.’’
According to Hon Fabba, when the people were not allowed to vote in the SLPP lower level election, it has security implications.
He said: “I am trying to address these challenges in my own way to ensure that peace reigns in my constituency and I am on top of the situation.’’
When asked whether he had in mind to change the entire SLPP constituency executive, Hon Fabba said that in the entire constituency, “I am the only person that will attend the SLPP national election council meeting. But it is good for the people to know that there was a statement from the party at meeting a held in January that the term of office of executive position is over and that elections should be conducted and those interested to go back should declare intentions and when I came I informed everybody in the constituency, ‘’ he said.
He said those who think that he was coming to change the executive are those that have changed the executive.
“I never had the intention to do so. If you are in a position that is earning you respect, you will not want nobody remove you from there. Likewise myself as MP, I will not want somebody to come and remove me from my position,’’ Hon Fabba said.
He said that it is now clear “that those who were thinking that I am coming to remove people are the ones who have removed people from their executive positions.”
He noted: “I did not meddle into the lower level elections but because the process was not free and free that was why I objected.’’
However, some of the people who were mandated to conduct the election in Lugbu and Bagbo Chiefdom claimed that it was free and fair, despite minor problems encountered.