Citizens’ Alliance party has announced it is making a U-turn regarding its plan to take the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission to court for flouting a court order.
A court had ordered the IEC to receive CA leader Dr Ismaila Ceesay’s nomination and allow him to contest the just past presidential election. The IEC however disregarded the court order and CA then asked its lawyers to begin contempt of court proceedings against the chairman of IEC Alieu Momar Njai.
But in a statement today, CA said it is walking back in the interest of unity.
The statement said: “Having regards for the conclusion of the electoral processes and in order to move on and unify the country, the Citizens’ Alliance (CA) has instructed its lawyer not to pursue the contempt proceedings against the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Alh. Alieu Momar Njie, for violating a court judgement and order in the former’s favour.
“CA is conscious of the fact that the penalty for contempt of court is possibly an imprisonment, and that it will not be of national interest or CA’s interest to pursue a criminal proceeding that may possibly lead to the imprisonment of an elderly states man in the person of the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Alieu Momar Njie.
“This decision was arrived at by the CA National Executive Commitee for the sake of the overriding national interest. Meanwhile, CA will continue to institute proceedings for compensatory damages against the IEC’s ill-informed decision against the party and its candidate leading to the non-participation of the party and its candidate, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, in the recently concluded presidential election.”
