The High Court presided over by the Honourable Justice Adrian Fisher has turned down the application of strongwoman of the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden to, amongst other issues, compel the Former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma in his capacity as Chairman & Leader of APC and compel Ambassador Dr. Osman Foday Yansaneh in his capacity as National Secretary of APC, to release and publicise 5th October 1991 Constitution of the APC.
According to the Ruling by Hon. Fisher, there is no evidence that such a democratic Constitution with internal democracy enacted therein for the APC, was ever adopted by APC party in Sierra Leone.
He said no Court had ever litigated on the 1991 Constitution and so the only Constitution that Sierra Leone knows for the APC all these years is the one known as the 1995 Constitution and which the Defendants had already confessed to be a flawed document.
Hon. Justice Adrian Fisher also ruled that whilst the information in front of the High Court by originating Plaintiff, Alfred Peter Conteh, was in his words, “scanty” and whilst he asserted that indeed Dr. Blyden’s 102-Paragraphs affidavit brought a much better understanding of the matter to the Court, he was however not going to allow Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden to be added as an Interested Party as it may prolong the matter in front of him and all parties want the matter to end speedily.
Hon. Justice Fisher also turned down the Prayers by Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden for the party to open up Membership recruitment so that tens of thousands of the APC supporters who have been deprived from getting membership cards, can get a chance to become APC members in their various constituencies.
The Honourable Judge declined to give such an Order on membership issues.
Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden said at the end of the matter and with some slight tears in her eyes when the name of her late grandfather was mentioned positively by the APC lawyers, remarked: “Posterity and Time has a way of putting everything into better perspective. I did my best and History will do the rest”.
