In the mid-90s, Brigadier Julius Maada Bio as the NPRC II Head of State visited me at my Eastern Region Headquarters City of Kenema together with his newly appointed Finance Minister, Dr. Mathew Wilson Samura Kamara to jointly assess the refugees and the internally displaced people’s ( IDPs) crisis in Kenema ..
We were all great friends, and I believe we are still friends and brothers as I occasionally join them at the St Luke Catholic Church within the 34 Military Hospital in the Wilberforce Barracks in Freetown.
Wilson was the Financial Secretary ( FS), Lieutenant Colonel Michael Momoh Conteh was the Deputy Finance Minister, and Dr John Karimu, the Minister of Finance under HE Captain Valentine E M Strasser’s NPRC
I, then Lieutenant Colonel Bashiru Sahid Conteh, remained to be the Eastern Region Secretary of State when Bio replaced Strasser in January 1996 till we conducted the March 1996 Democratic General Elections which brought Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah as the elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
It was also the PR System, but the whole country was one constituency.
Tejan Kabbah’s SLPP got 27 seats, Dr. John Karefa Smart’s UNPP got 17 seats which became the main opposition party, Lawyer Themu Bangura’s PDP came 3rd with 12 seats, Lawyer Edwards Turay and Victor Bockarie Foh led APC as Presidential Candidate and Running-mate respectively and secured 5 seats, and the NPRC’s sponsored NUP led by Dr. John Karimu got 4 seats, Abu Aiah Koroma’s DCP got 3 seats total 68 seats
Other smaller parties like Dr. Abass Bundu’s PPP, Amadu Jalloh’s NDP, Edward J Kargbo’s PNC, Desmond Luke’s NUM, Andrew V Lungay’s SDP, and Andew Turay’s NPP couldn’t get a seat.
13 political parties participated in the 1996 Democratic General Elections, but only 6 political parties were able to secure seats as shown- SLPP-27, UNPP -17, PDP-12, APC – 5, NUP – 4, and DCP -3.
The Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah’s led SLPP formed Government with the support of Lawyer Bangura’s PDP, Dr Karimu’s NUP & Aiah Koroma’s DCP, and Dr John Karefa Smart’s UNPP became the country’s main opposition party
Dr James OC Jona , a UN retiree was the Chief Electoral Commissioner with Dr Faduline Deen , Ibrahim Sesay ( ebravo) among others regional commissioners ….
By: BS Conteh ( SL 300)
Colonel ( retired) but not tired
A Senior Citizen & a Patriot
