Supporters of Sierra Leone’s main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) are reportedly going their own way as big doubt about whether Samura Kamara would bring APC to power or not, is weighing them down.
It could be recalled that Dr. Samura Kamara was the presidential candidate for the June, 2023 elections who lost to the incumbent, President Julius Maada Bio according to the results announced by the election authorities.
The APC Constitution states that Kamara must step down after six months while the Chairman continues to lead the party until the election of a new flag-bearer and leader.
But, other members do not share such notion as they believe that Samura Kamara is the winner of the elections and look forward to a peaceful transfer of power either election or not regardless of the time the ruling party has spent in power.
Almost three years have been spent and the two political parties, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the APC are slating dates for National Delegates’ conference where new flag-bearers are expected to emerge.
The ruling party have held their lower-level elections and installed a full-fledge executive that is ready to take APC heads on.
APC, on the other hand, is plagued with internal crisis as the vast majority of APC youth are disappointed and disillusioned with their executive officials who they accuse of betrayal through collusion with the ruling party.
By their snail-pace and dull approach to issues of urgency, the APC authorities find it difficult to convince the youth that the party is kept well afloat, and it is ready for the polls.
In such a tense situation, the current flag-bearer and leader is getting some headache as he tries to pacify his membership through appeals for peace, unity and cooperation.
But, instead of heeding to Kamara’s call for peace, the youth seem to have taken the path of violence after a long wait to resist the 2028 group within the APC whose vision is being shared by other supporters.
In most of his public appearances, Samura Kamara often said “not all fight requires cutlasses or invectives but wisdom” adding that “the fight is a marathon race.”
His statements mean that he would bring back APC to power without any form of brutality but the pen as he believes that the pen is mightier than the sword.
As “a marathon fight,” it means that the struggle to bring APC to power will go on for a long time and it is not a day’s event, and has called on all APC members, supporters and sympathizers to rally under his banner and take back their victory without a spill of blood.
Kamara’s appeal for calm and peace in a war-torn country is timely since two major groups have emerged within the party-the one group still standing up for the June, 2023 election while others look forward to 2028-although there is little hope of making gains.
Those opting for 2028 elections mainly key stakeholders and flag-bearer aspirants have always wanted to see Kamara’s back from the party owing to his seeming inability to bring victory to the party. They accuse him of standing twice for an election without winning as he contested the 2018 and 2023 and failed to make gain.
Many have decided that the only solution is to see him out of the party by way of internal election through a National Delegates’ conference.
According to the current APC Constitution, Samura Kamara is no longer qualified to stand as flag-bearer aspirant in an APC election.
However, he is yet to back out of the race as he leverages on the support of the grassroots who seems be in the majority.
This difference in ideology has caused some rifts within the party, but Kamara who is always calm and unruffled in the face of provocation has called on his constituents to keep the peace while the fight to bring APC to power is ongoing, and that they should not expect the result today.
Kamara’s call for a peaceful struggle does not seem to have been accepted by some APC youth who see violence and thuggery as the quickest and most effective way of bringing their party to power again. Recently, the Youth resorted to violence to block the distribution of APC membership cards that would take them to a National Delegates’ Conference for the election of a new flag-bearer for 2028 polls.
Going in for another election without addressing 2023 election results is seen by APC youth as a ploy to plunge their loved candidate, Samura Kamara into oblivion and render their struggle meaningless and fruitless.
An APC center at Masiaka in the North of Sierra Leone was recently reduced to a flashpoint of violence when attempt was made to distribute the cards to some APC members.
Other forms of thuggery also took place at the Attouga Mini Stadium, east of Freetown where APC members converged to discuss issues relating to the party.
The violence that erupted prompted an action by the political parties’ regulator, PPRC (Political Parties Regulation Commission) by imposing fines on two main political actors, Lansana Dumbuya and Zainab Sheriff.
A PPRC press release seen by this press reads that “The Political Parties Regulation Commission….has issued fines of two hundred thousand Leones (Le200, 000) and one hundred and fifty thousand Leones (150, 000) on the National Secretary-General, Lansana Dumbuya and Zainab Sheriff respectively for violations of the Political Parties Act, 2022 during the APC mammoth meeting held at the Attouga Mini Stadium.”
The press release also indicated that the PPRC sees the utterances by the APC members as “profane” “obscene,” “provocative,” and “inciting.”
The APC defaulters have seven days to pay the fines or the Commission may take further steps as provided by the law.
However, PPRC’s fines will not stop the tension in the opposition party as tempers remain high until 2028 comes.