The peace and stability of Sierra Leone lies in the hands of its citizens, former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday.
Mr Osinbajo is in Sierra Leone as the head of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) in the country’s general elections slated for June 24.
“The peaceful and prosperous future of the nation lies in your hands. And in that future, violence, division and hate cannot play a part,” the former Nigerian Vice President said at the maiden press conference of his team.
“The hard lessons that history has taught us through the tragic loss of lives and livelihoods – we cannot afford to repeat,” he added, referencing the country’s dark experience of eleven years (1991-2002) civil war which claimed thousands of lives and displaced more, setting it back decades in terms of infrastructural development.
The COG comprises 12 people drawn from across the Commonwealth, a political association of 56 countries comprising mostly former territories of the British Empire.
Members of the mission represent a wealth of experience, and they include experts in law, politics, election administration, human rights, media and civil society.
As a development partner of Sierra Leone since its independence in 1961, the Commonwealth has observed every election in the West African nation since the end of the war in 2002, as well as the general elections of 1996.
Current Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland constituted this mission with the main task of determining whether the conditions exist for credible elections, including a fair election environment. It will also consider whether public media has been impartial; the transparency of the entire process; whether voters are free to express their will; and whether the counting and results process is transparent.
In the course of the next one week, the group will observe the pre-election environment, polling day activities and the post-election period to reach this conclusion, said Osinbajo.
The Nigerian statesman and his team are expected to present a final report on whether the elections have been conducted in accordance with the standards to which Sierra Leone has committed itself, including its national law, and regional and international commitments.
The COG arrives in the country as tension mounts, just few days to polling day, with fears of outbreak of violence.
Some 13 candidates have been registered by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) to contest the presidency.
The over 3.3 million registered voters will also be deciding on the fate of the country’s parliament and local councils.
But in terms of the presidential contest, which appears to attract the most attention, it has been largely a two-horse race, between incumbent President Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC)’s Dr Samura Kamara.
The two parties have dominated politics since the country’s independence in 1961.
APC, which lost power to the SLPP in 2018, after 11 years in office, has accused the incumbent of failing to guarantee a fair playing field for these elections, and it has even demanded the resignation of the leadership of the electoral commission.
The leadership of the APC and the Sierra Leone Police were expected to meet on Monday, June 19 to discuss a request by the opposition to stage a peaceful protest in front of the ECSL offices.
Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma last week weighed in on calls for calm, after his successor accused him of fueling the tension.
As part of its mandate in the course of its stay in the country, Mr Osinbajo said the COG will be meeting stakeholders in the electoral process, including the ECSL, government representatives, political parties and security agencies.
He called on the political parties and their supporters to uphold the commitments of the Electoral Pledge they signed to ensure free, fair and violence-free elections.
