APC Headquarters Under Siege

…Police Clash With Protesters
*Sidi Yayah Tunis Speaks On Moral Guarantors Meeting

By Ayodele Deen Cole
The Headquarters of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) on Old Railway Line, Brookfields, Freetown was placed under siege past Tuesday, 15th October, 2024 as Police personnel reportedly clashed with some members and supporters of the party who were protesting for Electoral Justice.
That day witnessed the visit of the delegation of international moral guarantors which included ECOWAS, UNOWAS, the Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, among others currently in town, to the APC headquarters.
The delegation is in town to follow on the agreement for national unity signed between the Government of Sierra Leone and the APC on the 18th of October 2023 and that of the implementation of the 80/84 recommendations of the Tripartite Committee.
Meanwhile, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Sidi Yayah Tunis has swiftly denied allegations doing rounds on social media that their supporters clashed with personnel of the SLP and acted violently at the said location.
Reports also have it that the police had to fire teargas canisters and live bullets to disperse the irate protesters who were reportedly chanting – “we want electoral justice…”
In the event, businesses within and around the Brookfield’s community were reportedly forced to shut down as people ran helter-skelter for their dear lives.
However, a letter dated 14th October, 2024, addressed to the SLP and signed by the APC National Secretary General, Lansana Dumbuya Esq. confirmed that the party indeed requested for police presence during the said meeting to ensure order.
According to Sidi Yayah Tunis, the delegation and the leadership however had fruitful discussions regarding the implementation of the Tripartite Committee report, other issues of national importance and challenges the opposition party is facing under the current dispensation.
The APC mouthpiece furthered that during the meeting, the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray furnished the delegation on how far they, as a party, have gone in the implementation of resolutions one and two of the signed agreement. He however stated that resolution four of the said agreement that has to do with the release of politically motivated prisoners or detainees and also that of the removal of political motivated cases from the courts are yet to be implemented. The APC mouthpiece further raised grave concern over members of the party who are held in exile and who would have otherwise loved to be home to contribute to national development.
After listening to their concerns, he said, the delegation assured the party of continued support in ensuring that those unimplemented resolutions are implemented accordingly. He admonished party members to prepare for the 2028 elections and emphasized the need for continued dialogue for the furtherance of peace and national cohesion.