State House, Freetown, Monday 28 August 2023 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has formally received the report of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, CPNC, following a fact-finding exercise around post-elections concerns, and assured the implementation of recommendations and commitments in the report.
Chairman of the ICPNC, Rev. Shodankeh Johnson, confirmed that they had had a great time at the Commission, enjoying a free hand to do their work and that together they havd worked toward ensuring that the country continued to enjoy peace and national cohesion.
“The Commission has worked frantically as a team with political parties before, during, and after the June elections, including all Elections Management Bodies toward making sure that Sierra Leone stands out to be remembered as a peaceful nation among others.
“This government has given us as a nation a platform to ensure internal issues are resolved with commitment from all political parties, including the opposition,” he noted.
The chairman informed me that they had several meetings with political parties and that those meetings ended well.
“We had meetings with the All People’s Congress, APC. The meeting was very friendly. The atmosphere was very healthy, and we could deliberate on issues openly and honestly for all of us as a nation to move forward.
“His Excellency, with all those engagements, we were able to put together our reports, capturing issues discussed and commitments made by all the political parties moving forward as a nation,” he confirmed.
President Bio, while receiving the Commission’s report, expressed delighted, assuring that, “I am happy to receive the report. I will read it through and respond to it accordingly”.
He reminded the nation that, on behalf of the citizenry, he was happy that there was a body of respectable Sierra Leoneans that could handle peace and national cohesion issues. He said the commission was a platform for resolving grievances, especially when, as a nation, “we have chosen democracy.”
