- avers Robin Fallay
June 15, 2016 By Alusine Sesay
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) has stated that because the ruling party has won 7 out 10 bye-elections conducted by the National Electoral Commission, he was very much confident that they would demolish any opposition party come 2018 through the ballot box.
The National Electoral Commission has slated 9th July, 2016 for the conduct of the parliamentary bye-elections in constituency 001 in the Kailahun District, while date for the bye-election in constituency 050 in the Port Loko district is yet to be announced.
“Bye-election is a midterm assessment, which indicates that having won 7 out of 10 bye-elections with outstanding majority plus significant inroads in the SLPP strongholds, it is clearly evident that the APC is in the driving seat of winning the 2018 elections,” said Robin Falay at his Marine House Office.
“As Publicity Secretary and one of the social mobilisers of the party who have been very much instrumental in the bye-elections, I am confident that we would demolish any opposition come 2018 through the ballot box,” said Fallay, who was once a lawmaker of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party.
He explained that the ruling party had just won local council bye-election in ward 172, Constituency 050 with a big merging of 2838 votes, followed by the SLPP with 795 votes, while the Alliance Democratic Party secured 515 votes.
With a pending parliamentary bye-election in Constituency 050, he said the outcome of the local council bye-election in that constituency was testament that people still believe in the APC party and would continue demonstrating their allegiance to the party.
“I am confident that the bye-election in constituency 050 would be won by outstanding victory. We hope to win by 80% and above,” he said.
He said the party’s candidate, Osman Karankay Conteh, is a grassroots politician, who robs skin with all categories of people in his constituency, adding that he has all what it takes to defeat his opponents.
For the Constituency 001 parliamentary bye-election in which two female candidates would contest, he said it would be a real contest between two formidable women.
Navo Kaikai of the SLPP will battle with Haja Nasratu Jalloh of the APC for the vacant seat, with the former tipped to win by a landslide as Constituency 001 in the Kailahun district is undoubtedly an SLPP stronghold; it was declared vacant after the death of Hon. Patrick Foyah, who was an SLPP lawmaker.
But Fallay noted that voters in that part of the country have gained a realisation that politics is not about tribalism and regionalism, but service delivery, citing road infrastructure development, provision of safe drinking water, among others, that the ruling party has implemented in Kailahun district.
“We hope to win the parliamentary bye-election in constituency 001 because of the developmental stride we have effected in Kailahun district. The road network was very poor to the extent that it was a death trap for the people, but they are now enjoying smooth ride,” he said.
He said the SLPP has lost its relevance in the politics of Sierra Leone and that “We are neither a Paopa nor violence party, but a party that cares for the socio-economic wellbeing of the common people who are the strong and dynamic pillar of our party.”
For the newly established Alliance Democratic Party, he said “New political parties are the new missionaries who have done nothing for the people of the country, but banking on fake and bogus promises.”
He said the honeymoon which the ADP enjoyed was over and that they were now ready to take on the leader of the party, Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray, in any part of the country at any platform. “We would be campaigning on issues and only issues of national importance. Our people should not trust him or allow him to distract them,” averred Fallay.