By Richmond B Tholley
October 13, 2023, has been announced by the Makeni City Council as the official date for the inauguration and oath-taking of the elected mayors and their deputies, district chairpersons and deputies, councillors and Paramount Chiefs Members of Parliament from the Northeastern region of Sierra Leone.
The public notice dated 10th October, 2023, is from Daniel B. Kpumu, the Makeni City Council’s Chief Administrator.
In his capacity as the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the notice says will chair the inaugural and oath-taking ceremony.
“This notice serves as an announcement to the general public and to inform them that, the Hon Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone (Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh) who doubles as the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, will officially Chair the inaugural and oath-taking ceremony of elected Mayors and Deputies, Chairperson and Deputies, Councillors, together with Paramount Chiefs in the Northeast region,” the public notice reads in part.
According to the notice, the Mayor and Deputy of the Makeni City Council and all elected District Council Chairpersons, Councillors, and Deputies from Bombali, Tonkolili, Koinadugu, and Falaba District Councils are all to be inaugurated and take the oath on that day.
But it’s still unclear whether elected officials from the main opposition All People’s Congress Party will attend the ceremony. This is because the party recently not only boycotted all governance activities but also stopped its elected officials from going to the House of Parliament and occupying their seats at the district level.
The decision came after the party said it did not accept the outcome of the June 24 general elections that saw President Julius Maada Bio winning for a second term. Though a negotiation between the government and the main opposition is about to start, the APC has not made its position clear on the issue, and it’s still unclear what the outcome will be.
