Sierra Leone Telegraph: 9 April 2022:
High Court Judge Justice Adrian J Fisher presiding over the case between Alfred Peter Conteh and the Chairman and Leader of the All People’s Congress (APC) Party, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and three others, yesterday controversially ordered the party’s National Secretary General, Ambassador Osman Foday Yansaneh, to contact a Sierra Leonean living in Europe who goes by the alias – Adebayo, to request a public apology through published audio for insulting the Judge and the country with his vile and obscene messages and abuse, purportedly on behalf of the APC party.
According to a report published yesterday by the Judiciary Communications Unit, Judge Fisher (Photo) asked the APC Secretary General to do so on the basis that he is the only one that Adebayo hasn’t abused, adding that “and it seems that he has a lot of respect for you, therefore you are the fittest person to secure an apology from ‘Adebayo’ on behalf of your party, the APC.”
Recognising that he may have overstepped his legal jurisdiction and may face sanction for his request, Justice Fisher said he will consult over the weekend in a bid to determine whether he should recuse himself from the case or to go ahead and deliver judgment on the case.
According to Fisher, he will either handover the case file to the Chief Justice for assignment to another judge who may well start the proceedings afresh or he may continue with it after consultation with the Chief Justice.
Although Adebayor is regarded by many in Sierra Leone as vile and depraved, Judge Fisher’s request and remarks to the APC Secretary General Dr Yansaneh, have attracted much criticisms as well as questions about the Judge’s ability to remain neutral and impartial in delivering judgement in this case.
This is a press statement believed to have been published by the APC Party:
I personally believe that although some APC members and supporters are destructive during governance, they are worse in opposition.
In 1961 they tried to destroy our independence from our colonial master but failed woefully. In 1997 they tried to destroy our democracy by using Johnny Paul Koroma as proxy against late President Kabba, which resulted in the loss of lives and properties. After they lost the 2018 presidential election, they have tried to “make our country ungovernable” under the leadership of their lifetime leader and chairman. They have used this “ Miscreant” as proxy to incite our youths and normalizes insults (Mammy Cuss) within our nation.
Africans always referred to their Mothers as “ Sweet Mother”, and always treasure them for the 9 months pregnancy and finally painful process of giving birth. So unless it happens to you, there is a tendency to minimize it by referring to it as “ freedom of speech” , which has already destroyed the fabric of our society, especially in Freetown and Makeni that are considered as the destructive APC strongholds. These incitements have also resulted in the loss of lives and properties.
Finally, I personally believe that this is the beginning of the IMPLOSION of the APC based on the fact that the “Jihad” that the lifetime leader promised within his party is imminent, because democracy within his party is a problem. May the almighty continue to protect our judges against intimidation and violence by the destructive APC .