By Ibrahim Alieu Kanu
The National Reformation Movement (NRM) is a group of young educated professionals who have served the All People’s Congress in many facets of the political sphere since their university days.
The group was formed just after the 2018 elections that ushered in the current President, Julius Maada Bio.
The purpose of the movement is to look into the reasons that led the APC, champion of the transformation of Sierra Leone to lose an election to a candidate of more than a century of baggage.
The movement, with the astute leadership of Lawyer Mohamed Sheridan Kamara and its outspoken and eloquent spokesman, Alfred Minkailu Koroma and the entire membership, conducted a research across the country to get first-hand information on why the APC lost the 2018 polls to the defunct Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
They conducted the research and presented the report to the party secretariat for onward consideration.
The NRM, with candour and respect recommended that the selection clause in the party’s 1995 interim constitution be expunged and allow election to take centre stage as we are now in the 21st century.
The work of the NRM provoked the formation of the 9-man committee charged with the responsibility to conduct a research on why the APC lost the elections.
The finding of the committee dovetails with those of the NRM and the party further set up a Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to review the party’s constitution.
The committee took almost a year to review the constitution and couple of months ago, the committee forwarded a draft document to the Chairman and Leader, former President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
The NRM being a group of young professionals from all walks of life, detected some deliberate attempt by the CRC to maintain the infamous selection clause, but its Chairman, Lawyer Mohamed Sheridan Kamara and the Spokesman, Alfred Minkailu Koroma, having the grassroots people in mind, expressed dissatisfaction over that and increased the volume of their advocacy for the removal of the selection clause which was taken to a dishonest secret room and dressed with an undemocratic attire called consultation.
But with former President Koroma being a listening leader who wants to see his party regain governance come 2023, together with the National Advisory Council (NAC), thought it fit to expunge the selection clause dressed in consultation regalia.
The APC as a party should be celebrating the courageous young people in the NRM for standing for what is good for the party amidst heavy intimidation, campaign of calumny, maternal invectives, threats of expulsion from the party etc.
The young people in the APC should be very proud of Mohamed Sheridan Kamara and Alfred Minkailu Koroma for their resilience in making sure it is democratized for the general good of the party.
There are many sub groups in the APC, but it is only the NRM that has the courage and zest to ask the leadership of the party to reform and democratize the party, to create a level playing field for all and sundry. Let every key position be voted for in the party.
The NRM and former President Koroma have restored democracy in the party.