By Samuel J. Kargbo
Sources close to the leader of the main opposition party, the APC, in Parliament, Hon. Chernor Maju Bah, otherwise known as Chericoco, say the Honourable Member did not in any way endorse the choice of Hon. Sidi M. Tunis for the position of Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament. They further disclosed that both Hon. Sidi M. Tunis and Chericoco are vying for the same position.
In their view Chericoco is better qualified to hold that position for several reasons, namely: He has more experience in parliament and about parliamentary procedures more than Hon. Tunis, as he had served in Parliament for three consecutive terms of five years each, whilst his rival for the position had only served for two terms (the first being during the Late President Kabbah’s tenure in office and the second being, during the second term of former President Koroma’s tenure).
Furthermore, it was disclosed that Hon. Chernor Maju Bah had served as Deputy Speaker of the House of the Sierra Leone Parliament during the last term of the former President’s tenure in office and during that period, he was a member of the ECOWAS Parliament before the 2018 elections. Many people are of the opinion that Hon. Chericoco should automatically be chosen for that position by virtue of his experience in both the Sierra Leone Parliament and the ECOWAS one, in which he is a member and therefore familiar with the goings-on in that sector.
Political analysts say that Hon. Chericoco’s legal background puts him in better stead to hold the position of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. They further stressed that whilst legal background is not a prerequisite for the said position, but it gives him a much greater advantage as the making of Laws is an integral part of the Parliament. In their view, laws binding the community demand a person with the necessary legal background to be able to navigate through the legal waters and look at such laws with the lens of a legal mind.
It should be noted that the ECOWAS Parliament is an international body and not a national one, with various experts in various fields and Sierra Leone now has the opportunity to showcase her prowess and stamp her name in the annals of history as an important player in that Parliament. It is a matter of putting round pegs in round holes and square pegs in square holes, in other words; putting the right man in the right place.
