To say there is no division in the main Opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party is a misnomer; to say the APC party needs a unified voice that calls for peace, is the way to go; nothing more, nothing less.
Last month in Pheonix, Arizona in the United States of America, Dr. Kaifala Marah took the bold step to call for peace, unity, reconciliation, respect for leadership and the harmonization of the APC party’s collective aspiration and called on supporters across the board; at home and in the Diaspora, to turn their ploughshares into tools that can till the fertile land of Sierra Leone for an eminent APC return to power. His peace message also drew attention to the spurious attacks on the party’s leadership and senior members by social media handlers, which according to him were not doing anything fruitful for the party, rather than sowing seeds of discord, acrimony, toxicity and an apparent imbalance in the coordination and promotion of the party’s ideals and core value. He appealed to those social media activists to show restraint by transforming their energies towards positivity and the collective good of the party. This message was reemphasized to supporters in all the other States he visited to familiarize with his colleague Comrades.
Yesterday, at the APC Retreat in the Western Rural District headquarter of Waterloo, two of the party’s respected leaders, Hon. Chernor Maju Ramadan Bah and Hon. Bai Mamoud issued a “Joint call for peace, progress and solidarity” in the party and emphasized to their supporters that they are not at odds.
According to the joint call, the duo expressed appreciation for the unwavering support and dedication of their supporters to the APC, they cautioned against divisive actions and derogatory social media posts that could foster cleavages, rancour, or malice among their supporters and pointed out that “such behaviour runs counter to the collaborative spirit necessary for our party’s progress.”
The statement alluded to the fact that a lot of misinformation has been peddled against party leaders by enthusiasts with the intent to cause mischief which they highlighted, is hampering their shared mission and also contradicts the principles and core values they hold dear as members of the APC.
They therefore called: “We urge all APC supporters to refrain from hostile rhetoric and remember that we are one family united in our quest for a stronger party and nation,” and went on to warn, “Impersonators and detractors seeking to sow seeds of discord will not succeed…”
In resonance with Dr. Marah that peace and cohesion within the APC party is not negotiable and that it is an undeniable reality that the party needs to move in positive strides to form the next Government in 2028, Hon. Chericoco and Hon. Bai Mamoud maintained: “Our call is clear. Let us disengage from negativity, cease attacks, and renew our commitment to the ideals of peace, reconciliation and progress. To those spreading misinformation, we issue this direct appeal: Kindly desist,” and they concluded asserting that: “In unity, there is strength. In peace, there is progress,” and they called out: “…Let us recommit to these principles and ensure our journey as a party is defined by shared values, respect, and collaboration. Together, we will achieve victory and build a Sierra Leone that inspires pride in all of us.” Fantastic!
Inasmuch as the statement is a call for APC party supporters to give peace, respect, reconciliation and harmony a chance in ensuring the progress of the party, most a large segment of the APC support base have viewed the statement as too egoistic and centrist to the joint interest of both Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah and Hon. Bai Mamoud because it does not necessarily implore party supporters to give space to the party’s ideals and principles to hold sway as to strengthen the unity call, rather, it implores their supporters. “We implore our supporters to allow us space to work towards this shared vision by promoting dialogue, understanding, and respect.”
Most APC supporters who appear tired, exhausted, frustrated and disillusioned with the height of disunity in the party caused by established cleavages and supporter conclaves, wished Chericoco and Bai Mamoud would have made this statement jointly with all known flagbearer contenders and Wannabes so as to give the statement a unified approach that is calling for decorum with one voice.
Apart from the suspicion that both Chericoco and Bai Mamoud have already formed a flagbearer alliance which is said to be an extension of the 2023 “Team A” conclave by this joint statement, their joint action is bound to further put the party’s unity call asunder because, either others will tend to emulate similar alliance building and start to speak directly to their supporters or those who feels left out as it was in 2023 will continue to instigate their own supporters to work against their “shared vision” of Chericoco and Bai Mamoud.
Right-thinking supporters of the APC have therefore condemned the Chericoco-Bai Mamoud joint call and have damned it as “far more divisive, not conciliated and an impetus for sowing seeds of discord, rancour and disunity.” They are maintaining that the mentality of “campism” should no longer hold sway in the party, and called for a just, fair and transparent system and processes that will allow equitable participation in the contest for the flagbearer of the party. They recalled that the “straight-line” syndrome established by former President and Chairman, Ernest Bai Koroma in 2017 was a shocking experience to National Delegates of the party and that even when it was reformed into winning and losing teams within the same political party in 2023 had no positive impact on the party’s chances of winning and the maintenance of its much desired peace, unity and reconciliation.
There is however a general call for the party’s leadership to bring on board all the protagonists in the APC flagbearer drama, in one room and in one voice, to call for peace, unity, reconciliation, harmony and to eschew negativities, blackmail and misinformation about the party or any one intending to contest for whatever position in the party. APC grassroots are looking forward to that joint statement of peace.