Dr. Mathew Wilson Samura Kamara, the 2023 presidential candidate of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC), has delivered one of his strongest public statements since the disputed June 24, 2023 elections, declaring that he is “not part of the 2028 agenda” while insisting that the unresolved questions surrounding the last election remain a matter of national conscience.
Speaking in a nine-minute thank-you message released on May 7th 2026, during celebrations marking his birthday, Dr. Kamara expressed gratitude to supporters across Sierra Leone and abroad for what he described as an overwhelming show of solidarity, prayers, and encouragement.
He said the messages he received were more than birthday greetings, describing them instead as a reaffirmation of the trust many Sierra Leoneans continue to place in his commitment to justice, democracy, and national renewal.
“Every word of encouragement, every audio message, and every video was more than a birthday greeting,” he said. “It affirmed the trust you place in my continued commitment to justice and national renewal.”
Dr. Kamara, who has remained relatively quiet in recent months, addressed growing public speculation about his silence, saying it had been deliberate, painful, and personally costly. However, he firmly rejected suggestions that he had abandoned supporters or compromised the opposition’s position following the controversial elections.
“Let me be clear, I have not. I have never abandoned you, and I have never traded your vote or your will for anyone’s favor,” he declared.
In what is likely to intensify political debate nationwide, the former presidential candidate insisted that the issue of electoral legitimacy remains unresolved and should not be ignored in favor of early political calculations for the 2028 elections.
“I am not, and I repeat, I am not on a 2028 elections agenda while 2023 remains unresolved,” he stated.
Dr. Kamara argued that the demand for electoral justice would remain valid unless election fraud is openly criminalized and completely eliminated from Sierra Leone’s democratic process. He questioned whether elections still genuinely reflect the will of the people and warned against normalizing what he described as democratic decline.
“The will of the people is paramount,” he said. “We deserve truth and justice at all times.”
The APC flagbearer also voiced concern over the state of governance and democratic accountability in Sierra Leone, warning against any system in which political power becomes concentrated without checks and balances.
“We did not seek independence only to inherit new chains,” he said. “We did not fight for the ballot so that it could become a battlefield.”
In one of the most striking lines of the address, Dr. Kamara warned against a political culture in which the ruling establishment controls every aspect of the democratic process.
“We must never accept a system in which the party in power becomes the referee, the player, and the scorekeeper all at once,” he said. “That is not democracy. It is political dominance.”
According to him, the aftermath of the June 24 elections left what he described as a “landmark wound” on the nation, affecting families and communities emotionally, physically, and psychologically.
He said the call for electoral truth and democratic legitimacy should not be viewed as a partisan APC issue but rather as a national concern that transcends party politics.
“The call for electoral truth, justice, and democracy is bigger than any political party,” he stressed. “It is the people’s cause.”
Despite the strong political undertones of his message, Dr. Kamara repeatedly emphasized peace, conscience, and faith, urging Sierra Leoneans to remain committed to democratic principles without resorting to violence or division.
Political observers are likely to interpret the speech as both a reaffirmation of his loyalty to APC grassroots supporters and a signal that the opposition’s concerns over the 2023 elections remain far from settled.
The statement is already generating discussion within political circles, particularly his declaration that he would not compromise what he called the “2023 mandate” entrusted to him by supporters.
For many supporters of the APC, the message may serve as reassurance that the party’s leadership has not abandoned its long-standing demands for electoral transparency and accountability.
Whether the speech deepens political tensions or reignites national dialogue on electoral reform remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: after months of relative silence, Samura Kamara has returned to the national conversation with a message centered on justice, legitimacy, and the future of democracy in Sierra Leone.