March 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The main opposition candidate in the presidential elections scheduled for June in Sierra Leone, Samura Kamara, has announced that Chernor Ramadan Maji Bah will be his vice-presidential candidate after receiving the support of the All People’s Congress (APC).
“Good morning. You have all heard the news. My running mate in the June 24, 2023 elections is Chernor Ramadan Maji Bah. It is a winning team,” Kamara said in a brief message on his Twitter account. .
In response, Maji Bah has been “deeply grateful” for his election and has stressed that he “humbly accepts this vote of confidence, honor and privilege.” “Please be assured of my commitment to his vision to rebuild Sierra Leone,” he said, referring to Kamara’s programme.
“I take into account that the tasks that lie ahead are overwhelming, with a failed and desperate government, but the APC is stronger and is determined to take over the Presidency on June 24,” he said, before calling for “unity of towards a common goal”.
Kamara came in second in the 2018 elections, won by the current president, Julius Maada Bio, who won in the second round. Facing the June elections, he is considered the main rival of Bio, who has announced that he will run for re-election.
However, a Sierra Leonean court opened a corruption case last week against the opposition leader, who was charged in December 2021 with embezzlement of about 2.5 million dollars (about 2.3 million euros) when he was minister. Foreign Affairs during the Presidency of Ernest Bai Koroma.
If convicted, Kamara would not be able to stand for election or hold official office. The opposition leader has rejected the charges and has maintained that “a diligent investigation would have prevented what now appears to be a deliberate attempt at defamation” ahead of the elections.
