APC Officials Put Forth Legal Challenges Over Acting Mayor Nomination at FCC

APC Officials Put Forth Legal Challenges Over Acting Mayor Nomination at FCC

Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has formally contested the legal validity of the purported nomination of an Acting Mayor by councillors representing the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) within the Freetown City Council.

The news had been disclosed by SLPP National Publicity Secretary, Moses Mambu during an interview at AYV this afternoon, who confirmed that the nominee will be presented to both party leadership and the national government for formal ratification.

In an official communication, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr asserted that the Local Government Act (LGA) of 2022 contains no statutory provision for such an appointment. Citing Section 16(3) of the Act, she clarified that the legislative framework only permits councillors to elect a temporary presiding officer for a specific meeting in the concurrent absence of both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor.

Furthermore, the Mayor argued that the SLPP councillors lacked the necessary quorum to constitute a valid council session. Consequently, any resolutions or appointments resulting from such a gathering are challenged as being devoid of legal legitimacy. 

“The only statutory contingency provided by the law relates strictly to the conduct of council meetings, not the delegation of executive authority,” Aki-Sawyerr maintained.

This legal interpretation was supported by the Minority Leader of Parliament, Honorable Abdul Kargbo, who emphasized that executive authority remains vested in the elected Mayor unless the office is vacated through prescribed legal channels, such as resignation, decease, or formal removal under the law.

“The legal framework restricts councillors to presiding over meetings on a temporary basis. Any attempt to assume executive powers outside the explicit provisions of the Act is legally invalid,” stated Honorable Kargbo.

He further noted that adherence to quorum requirements is a mandatory condition for council operations, rendering decisions made in their absence subject to judicial review.

These developments follow reports that SLPP councillors moved to nominate an interim executive to manage Freetown City Council operations during a boycott by the All People’s Congress (APC), a situation that has intensified existing disputes regarding governance and procedural adherence.