As the Tripartite Committee represents the last hope for Sierra Leoneans so is the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) seen as the people’s ultimate choice for state governance.
Many hope to see a revamped economy under APC rule, but peace, they say, must come first if the party is to return to State House.
It is the people’s wide expectations that the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee also known as the Election Investigation Committee will favour APC with a rerun or fresh election widely expected.
The party is seen as the only panacea for Sierra Leone’s socio-economic problems as evidenced by the development that took place in the past 10 years of APC rule.
Ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma, between 2007 and 2018 transformed the country overnight from one of the darkest cities to the brightest, launched and achieved urgently needed infrastructural initiatives in Africa and initiated a Free Healthcare policy which caters for pregnant women, under-five children and lactating mothers.
The projects are today enduring legacies benefitting millions of Sierra Leoneans.
Convinced by such an impressive performance, the people of Sierra Leone wanted APC again in the corridors of State House to brighten the country’s future, but peace building should be a never-ending project if it should continue to dominate Sierra Leone’s political landscape.
The seeming uneasy calm which, before now, was a prominent future of the opposition was used by opponents to score political points.
During an SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) fund-raising event in the United States, Sierra Leone’s First Lady was blunt to say conflicts in the APC were just the tip of an iceberg as more were set to come. With conflicts and disagreements spiraling out of control within the APC, SLPP members were quite hopeful of going unopposed in the June polls.
The statement was however unfortunate on the side of the First Lady as the APC took on the ruling party head on in the past elections as SLPP stays in power only out of alleged election rigging.
Although APC is showing signs of coming together as one family, the ruling party has always projected the party as one of “thugs,” “insurrectionists” and “terrorists.”
For many political analysts, it was a clear smear campaign by the government for the opposition to appear funny especially in the eyes of the international community (United Nations, United States, European Union, United Kingdom, African Union, Commonwealth and the Economic Community Of West African States).
Faced with such scathing allegations, the only way out for APC is to come together and fight together after years of internal strife in a party that represents the people’s hope.
Former Vice President, Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana seems to be blazing the trail for peace in the party as he meets with several top-notch politicians in the party’s interest.
He is also engaging the youth who are seen as the forgotten and neglected group of the party so that they could once more become active players of the party as reflected in the most chanted slogan that everyone must be brought on board.
Chief Sam believes that the youth has lots of energy which can be tapped for their betterment and that of the country. He believes that the youth’s energy can be wrongly tapped to destroy the party, but the only way out is to sharpen their knowledge, skills and attitude for Sierra Leone’s advancement.
The move for peace in the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) fits into the time-honoured adage that in the midst of conflict, one prepares for peace and vice versa.
APC has come a long way after waves of intra-party controversies from constitutional stalemates to the dissolution of an executive and setting up of an interim body known as Interim Transitional Governance Council (ITGC).
Conflicts over the constitution began on the day APC handed over the staff of authority to President Julius Maada Bio leader of then opposition, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) now the ruling party.
A group of young men and women who felt left out of the system dragged the party to court asking for an injunction to restrain the party from adopting what many called “an undemocratic Constitution.” But, the matter was peaceably resolved after protracted judicial hearings.
Once the matter was resolved, another member of the party, Alfred Peter Conteh who heads the American branch of the NRM (National Reformation Movement) in the United States embarked on a fresh legal suit against the party. The lawsuit was a direct legal challenge to the Ernest Koroma-executive which had out-lived its mandate.
It went on for months in the courtroom, but an out-of-court settlement also ended the political quagmire.
However, the executive of former President Ernest Koroma was dissolved and replaced with an Interim Transitional Governance Council which consisted of 21 senior APC politicians to temporally handle the party’s affairs.
Alfred Conteh has gone back to the United States after a substantive executive has been formed, but undercurrents of conflict still threaten the party’s existence through blame game, suspicions and misunderstandings.
The defeat of Samura Kamara in the 2018 elections and his refusal to challenge the results was one that also created a loud row in the party as many accused him of collusion with SLPP politicians.
The emergence of splinter groups within the party as evidenced by the formation of the BIG SIX, the NRM and other affiliate bodies that most times do not see eye-to-eye on party issues, but the tide of conflict is being stemmed after June 24, 2023 elections.
In recent times, the party’s move for unity and cohesion is being whittled down by allegations and counter-allegations of a sell-out to the ruling party trumpeted by social media bloggers against top-notch politicians of the party.
The bloggers are at each other’s throat over several issues affecting the party especially those that have do with the party’s finances.
Situations in which APC media bloggers battling with each other on behalf of their political godfathers have been widespread and shows no sign of receding.
In the past years, APC’s executive officials particularly Foday Yansaneh, Minkailu Mansaray and others have been accused of misusing the party’s funds without transparency and accountability.
The allegations eroded public trust and confidence in the executive, and the distrust still persists when those accused formed the crux of the party after the February National Delegates Conference in Makeni city.
As if that was not enough, the worst allegation ever made was the one bordering on accepting bribes from SLPP to pave the way for a second term after several atrocious crimes against the people of Sierra Leone have been committed.
Those outside the party were much more angered by the allegations as they expected APC members to come together and speak with one voice.
The opposition party also faces similar threats outside the party since the party’s top cream are not free from political intimidation, harassment, arrest and imprisonment even when a peace deal has been inked.
However, a ray hope for APC’s peace still remains strong as the flag-bearers have put down their swords and ready to support any candidate that has the party at heart.
APC’s top personalities representing the party at the Tripartite Committee were once flag-bearers but have momentarily dropped their political ambitions for peace to reign.
NAC (National Advisory Council), the second highest decision making body in the party recently held a meeting to see how the party could better strengthen peace and move on especially after Dr Samura Kamara’s term came to an end.
By moves embarked on by the politicians, it is clear that a peace project is being built within the party, but the people are curious about knowing how far they have fared.