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Returnees Blame Government of Disenfranchising Them

Concord Times (Freetown)
NEWS
4 May 2007
Posted to the web 4 May 2007

By Sahr Morris Jr.
Freetown
A group of ninety three Sierra Leonean returnees from the Federal Republic of
Nigeria who called themselves Nigeria Campaign Branch for the Peoples Movement
for Democratic Change (PMDC) yesterday claimed that because of the delay in the
verification process by the government, they have been denied the right to
register for the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled
to take place on July 28, 2007.
Chairman of the group, Senesi Mikel James, stated that they would have arrived
in Freetown since November, 2006 to register for the elections but that they
were intimated that because the government knew they were PMDC supporters in
Nigeria they decided to delay their verification process.
"They slowed the verification process for us not to register and vote in the
forthcoming elections," James claimed and noted that they are still determined
to participate in the July 28 elections.
The returnees also expressed displeasure for the National Electoral Commission
(NEC) for the short period of registration, adding that even Nigeria which has
more population than Sierra Leone ended their registration two weeks before the
elections.
"We believe the government is dictating to NEC, that is why they did not give
chance to Sierra Leoneans leaving in the Diaspora who wants to exercise their
franchise to register and vote," they alleged.

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