By: Ibrahim Kabba Turay
The Supreme Court of Sierra Leone has on Thursday 21st January, 2021, begins the petition case of Dr. Samura Kamara was the standard bearer of the All Peoples Congress party in 2018 election and Sylvia Blyden.
Earlier, the 3rd and 4th respondent lawyer G.B. Thomes made an application for an addition prayer, he made the application under section (23) rule (7) (1) of the High Court rule.
Sylvia Blyden how is the first petitioner has informed the court that she not yet received the additional prayer from the defense.
Chief Justice, Desmond Babatunde Edwards has ruled on the application for an additional prayer that the defense applied for, and order the defense to file in the in the additional amendments to the petitioner
The Supreme Court of Sierra Leone ordered that following the failure on all parties to comply with the Consolidation Order, dated 18th July, 2018, parties in this action should now honor the said ‘Order 1’ by filing a consolidated bundle of the Supreme Court cases No. 6 and 7/2018 serving same on the 1st and 2nd Petitioners as well as 1st and 2nd Defendants.
It could be recalled that in April 2018, Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden and Dr. Samura Kamara separately filed petitions challenging the pronouncement of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. These cases were heard by the Supreme Court presided over by Justices Nicholas Brown Marke JSC; Eku Roberts JSC and Glena Thompson JSC who gave directives for both petitions to be consolidated.
Following the consolidation of both petitions on the 18th July, 2018 the Applicants for the 3rd and 4th Defendants, that is, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) respectively filed a Notice of Motion for the setting aside of the petitions on the 3rd August, 2018. The application is still pending even though affidavits in opposition have been filed. Despite the Order to consolidate the petitions, the cases were still not consolidated.
Presiding today on the matter, the Chief Justice, Desmond Babatunde Edwards ordered that the Solicitors for the 3rd and 4th Defendants/Applicants be given time to consolidate the said petitions which are now titled ‘Supreme Court Case Nos. 6 and 7 of 2018.’ The parties were also ordered to refile their Motions and Affidavits in opposition under the said consolidated petition case, Supreme Court Case Nos. 6 and 7 of 2018
Among the eight Orders, the empaneled Justices (Desmond Babatunde Edwards CJ; Nicholas Brown Marke JSC; Eku Roberts JSC; Alusine Sesay JSC and Ivan Sesay JA) gave, they ordered that all parties should be given the opportunities to file any further affidavits if they so desire on or against the adjourned date.
The matter has been adjourned 2nd February, 2021
