In Sierra Leone, with 93 percent of all polling stations reporting from that country’s August 11 Presidential election, opposition candidate Ernest Koroma of the All People’s Congress party continues to lead a pack of seven candidates. He is followed in second place by incumbent vice president Solomon Berewa. In third place is Charles Margai of the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC). But there seems to be a controversy in the PMDC because of Margai’s alleged statement that he would support the candidacy of Ernest Koroma in the event of a runoff between Koroma and Vice President Berewa.
Sidiki Janneh is the financial manager of the opposition PMDC. From the capital, Freetown he tells reporter Peter Clottey that Charles Margai took a rather hasty decision in declaring support for Koroma.
“We are a political party; we decided to wait until the last result to come out then we can sit together and watch exactly where to go. So if our leader Charles Margai said that he would go along with APC and announced that all the members are going there, that is why we are not happy and we are not pleased with that,” Janneh noted.
He said Margai’s alleged decision to support Ernest Koroma is unacceptable to other supporters of the PMDC.
“I know that for the crucial time, PMDC cannot pronounce this time to say it is going to join Ernest Koroma, the APC leader, no. That cannot go on well with the supporters at all, I can tell you my friend,” he said.
Janneh said he expected presidential candidate Margai to consult with the party stakeholders before making any statement.
“What I was thinking Charles Margai should do is that we should get back to our people, and ask them what is the way forward because they are the people to say the way forward before ever we take any other further step, either to go to SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) or APC,” Janneh pointed out.
Janneh said the PMDC presidential candidate erred by what he described as rushing things.
“A leader cannot take a hasty decision. You are working with a team, with the people, so automatically a leader has to work with his own people and listen so that he cannot take a hasty decision. That is not a good leadership,” he said.
