In a response to the ongoing political turmoil in Freetown, the Councilors of the Freetown City Council have nominated and granted approval to Councilor Ahmed Karim Bangura from Ward 443 in Aberdeen as the acting Mayor of the municipality.
The decision, announced by Chief Administrator Festus Kallay, is seen as a necessary step to ensure the city’s governance can continue, as several crucial pending activities hinge on the presence of a mayor.
Before his appointment, Acting Mayor Bangura held the position of Deputy Chairman in the Environmental Management Committee of the Council, a member of the Tourism Development and Job Creation Committee, and the Youth and Sports Committee. Notably, Councilor Bangura boasts the longest tenure as a Councilor in the Council’s history.
Acting Mayor Bangura emphasized, “The elections are over, and it is now time for development.”
He called upon APC Councillors to unite in their efforts for the city’s growth, highlighting his commitment to finalizing ongoing projects aimed at transforming Freetown into a more tourist-friendly destination.
In a related development, local Ward Councillors, Mayors, and Chairpersons of Local Councils, elected to represent the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Party in the June 2023 elections, boycotted the government’s planned swearing-in ceremony. This action represents their ongoing protest against the Bio-led government, following the APC’s claim of fraudulent election results.
This boycott is also a show of solidarity with the party’s executives and elected parliamentarians, who have previously stated their refusal to engage in any form of governance involving the ruling SLPP and the Bio-led government due to alleged electoral irregularities.
Meanwhile, in a bid to address the deepening political crisis in Sierra Leone, the opposition APC leadership has accepted the United States and Commonwealth Secretariat’s proposal for dialogue, offering a glimmer of hope for political reconciliation in the country.
