By Alfred Koroma
This election should be a violent free election, former Member of Parliament, Hon. Tennison Hindolo Sandy told Constituency 120 on Sunday.
The MP said this during a peace rally he organized with commercial bike or Okada riders and other young stakeholders in the Constituency, encouraging them vote peacefully and abstain from election related violence.
“I want to send a message to every bike rider: Let the election be very peaceful. Don’t allow bad politicians to use you the way they want, he told the crowds of commercial bike riders who encircled him.
When there is peace, we can do what we want. It is only peace that fosters development. If we don’t have peace, we can’t have freedom; we can’t have development, he added.
The former MP from the ruling Sierra Leone’s Peoples Party (SLPP) is seeking to return to Parliament after serving as MP in the last five years. He has the reputation of being one of the most punctual MPs, once recognized by the Speaker, Dr Abass Bundu during the session of the Fifth Parliament.
In addition, Hon. Tennison Hindolo also seems to commands a large number of supporters from his constituency.
Foday Osman Conteh, Bottom Mango Bike Riders Chairman is one of the biker riders that the MP engaged on Sunday. Speaking to the media on what he makes from the peace rally, Conteh said the message from the Hon. Hindolo opened his eyes. With that, he called on citizens, especially his colleagues bike riders to stay away from violence.
“Bike riding is a self-employment job, if we engage into violence it affects our job. If you know you are a bike rider, abstain from violence, especially during this election. Nobody should use you to perpetrate violence,” he said.
Without peace, we have no freedom, no development. That is why we are preaching peace, another participant of the rally, an aspiring Councilor for Ward 419, Mohamed Mustapha Gbonkoh Kanu, also told Concord Times.