Few days ago, political violence erupted between supporters of the incumbent parliamentarian of the ruling All People’s Congress Party, representing constituency 56 in Lokomasama Chiefdom Port Loko district, Hon. Kombor Kamara and Mr. Lawrence who is also aspiring for the same constituency in that part of the country.
Reports gathered by African Young Voices indicated that many innocent residents of the constituency had to fled into the bush for fear of been beaten, molested and incarcerated on the altar of political waywardness and violence, as a result of the growing tension and the huge political build- up by the two rival candidates.
The two political heavy weights accused each other of hiring thugs to beat up and perpetrate violence against their supporters, and this awful and disgraceful scenario has embarrassed and created a worrisome situation for senior cadres of the ruling All People’s Congress, even though the house of Parliament has not yet close for the commencement of political campaign in the country.Explaining his own version of the story, Hon Kombor Kamara stated that he was a matured and civilized politician who had never hired nor imported thugs or fan the flames of violence in his constituency.
He told various media outlets that he was in Lokomasama when he was told that a group of thugs hired by his rival contender, Mr. Lawrence had attacked and brutalized his people, and that personnel attached at the Lungi Police division had also incarcerated them, without conducting investigation into allegations levied against his people.According to him, when he arrived at the Lungi Police Division to enquire for his people with regards to their detention, he claimed that he was embarrassed, molested and even the Local Unit Commander of the said division LUC Gbornoh threatened to arrest and detain him.
Hon. Kombor accused the Local Unit Commander of Lungi Police Division, Mr. Gbornoh of being bias and very aggressive and conducted himself in a very unprofessional manner that unbecoming of senior personnel of the Sierra Leone Police Force.On the other hand, Aspirant Lawrence also claimed that it was Hon. Kombor Kamara that imported thugs from Freetown to perpetrate violence against his supporters in the Lokomasama Chiefdom.
He further claimed that he saw Hon. Kombor together with thugs disembarking from his jeep to get the hell out of his supporters, and that some of his supporters sustained serious injuries and they were presently hospitalized.In the light of the above, Hon Binneh Kamara of constituency 55 in the same Port Loko district , who also doubles as the ruling party regional Chairman cautioned all party to the ongoing violence activities in the Lokomasama Chiefdom to deviate from such barbarous and undemocratic act , as it negates the ethics and norms of the APC party.
He called on all parties to exercise patience and maturity as the time for political campaign has not yet been announced, and Parliament was still carrying out it legislative functions as one of the dependable and indispensable arms of government.Some school of thought opined that if punishable or stringent action is not put in place to halt or discourage the present trends of affairs between the two political rivalries in the Lokomasama Chiefdom, Sierra Leone’s upcoming March 7 2018, parliamentary and presidential elections will be characterized by violence, hooliganism and killings that this country had never experienced.
