On Friday at the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) West Office in Murray Town, Freetown, Mohamed Gento Kamara, the Sierra Leone People's Party Mayoral Candidate for the Freetown Municipality, announced that he has selected Rev. Samuel Babatunde Thomas as his running mate for the 24 June Mayoral election.
This announcement came a day after the current All People's Congress (APC) Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, nominated lawyer Kweku Lisk as her running mate for the same election. About a month ago, Kamara and Aki-Sawyerr had a verbal exchange at separate events, with Kamara accusing Aki-Sawyerr of tribalism and discrimination while she was in office. Some political and civil society activists have criticized Kamara's statement as a tribal slur with the intention to incite hatred.
Despite receiving criticism, Kamara has continued to stand by his statement. Freetown, the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, has faced significant challenges due to poor planning and a massive population boom following the country's 10-year civil war. Aki-Sawyerr had previously introduced the Transform Freetown Plan to improve the city, but critics have called it a waste of taxpayer's money.