By Ragan M. Conteh
Three months to the 24 June 2023 general elections, the leader and flagbearer of the All People’s Congress (APC) party, Dr Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara, has announced the leader of the opposition in Parliament, Hon Chernor Maju Bah, aka Chericoco, as his running mate. The erudite lawyer promised a first round victory for the APC.
Dr Samura Kamara has also announced one of the illustrious sons of Port Loko District, Hon Kombor Kamara, as the APC’s National Campaign Manager for the forthcoming general elections.
Announcing the two party giants as running mate and the campaign manager, Dr Samura Kamara said he had selected, in consultation with the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the party, Hon Chernor Maju Bah and Hon Kombor Kamara as ruing mate and campaign manager respectively.
After the pronouncement, the Deputy Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mohamed Pope Kamara, said the selection of the running mate was done by the flagbearer in consultations with the party’s NAC, adding that the selection of the running mate primarily rests with the flagbearer.
Mohamed Pope Kamara said the selection of Hon Chericoco is not a mistake because Dr Samura knows how loyal his running mate is, adding that the selection is timely and that the running mate is a man of the grassroots who can influence many to overwhelmingly vote for the APC’s victory.
The Deputy Publicity Secretary said the running mate is an expert in APC politics, adding that he knows all the party’s ideology as well as how to ensure Parliament becomes vibrant in the coming years.
He said the running mate has worked and is still working hard to ensure an APC victory, adding that the running mate is the only politician with strategies for Dr Samura’s victory in the last National Delegates’ Conference (NDC).
He said the running mate is competent, intelligent, hardworking and popular, adding that ‘Chericoco is a winning candidate for the APC’.
Speaking on the Campaign Manager, Hon Kombor Kamara, the Deputy Publicity Secretary, Mohamed Pope Kamara, said ‘Hon Kombor is a strategic man who came from a strategic district that is an APC stronghold’.
He said Kamara’s loyalty to the APC is unprecedented and unquestionable, adding that the flagbearer did not make any mistake in appointing Kombor Kamara to lead the party to victory.
Supporters of the APC who spoke to Nightwatch said they are happy with the selection of Hon Chericoco as running mate and Kombor Kamara as Campaign Manager.
Supporters said it is now time for the unity and progress of the APC, adding that the two personalities appointed by the flagbearer are not mistakes, but rather geared towards an APC victory come the 24 June 2023 general elections.
In an exclusive interview with Nightwatch, Hon Chernor Maju Bah, after thanking Dr Samura Kamara and the people and party for the faith reposed in him, called on all members of the APC to join the team for victory after a long and arduous struggle. He said APC is a grassroots and political institution. As running mate and Vice President he will make sure that there will be no divisions in the party, especially along tribal lines.
‘APC is a democratic party that moves as a family unit,’ he said, adding that he is demanding that unity, henceforth.
‘And I can assure the people and party that there will not be a run-off election this time around,’ said Hon Maju Bah.
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Sidi Yayah Tuinis, reiterated that the selection of the APC running mate is the prerogative of the flagbearer in consultations with the NAC, adding that the running mate will help the party to win on 24 June.