It wouldn’t have worked better even if the ruling party government had planned or strategized it. There is a deep rift in the All Peoples Congress (APC) that has resulted to confused partisans accusing a section or faction of the current executive of sabotaging the party. At present fingers are being pointed in every direction, and people in the APC speaking as if they are proving witchcraft about themselves.
All over social media, party supporters and executives have taken sides, with one side in full support of the flagbearer and presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Dr. Samura Kamara and the other side that is against keeping the party in suspense that the 2023 presidential result will be overturned in favour of Dr. Samura Kamara calling for the party to move on and prepare for 2028.
The call by certain members of the APC executives for registration of members have been downplayed by some grassroots supporters and members who say those executive members should register themselves as the majority of the grassroots have said they will only register after they and Dr. Samura Kamara and the international community have seen an end to the tripartite process.
Those supporting maintaining of the current status quo of the APC leadership are labelling the call by the split APC executives “a sabotage” of the party’s earlier vision for the 2023 presidential elections. These grassroots APC members say last year, they together with many people in the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and other like-minded and forward-thinking Sierra Leoneans didn’t vote to re-elect Julius Maada Bio, adding that they voted for the APC to kick President Maada Bio out of power and that the APC did win the election, but Dr. Samura Kamara was not only cheated but was also betrayed by many of his executive members whom they accuse of being on SLPP payroll.
“All this call by the party for registration of members and preparing for the 2028 elections is a betrayal of the party’s earlier vision of fighting to restore electoral justice to our electoral processes. They have not only betrayed our hope and trust and respect for them, but they have also endorsed President Bio and Mohamed Konneh.” They maintain that President Bio did not win the 24 June 2023 presidential election.
“The APC party should know that we don’t plan on registering until after we get electoral justice and the rightful winner of the 24 June, 2023, presidential election is revealed. Since we believe that we all voted for change, we absolutely believe that Dr. Samura Kamara won the 2023 presidential election. If he hadn’t won, the Chief Electoral Commissioner would have long delivered the raw voting data people have been calling for since he announced his mathematically inconsistent result on 27 June, 2023,” said one of the APC grassroots supporters.
According to sources in the separated or divided APC executive, the current divide separating the APC executive is the issue of Dr. Samura Kamara. Those against Dr. Samura Kamara are reportedly blaming him for instilling a sense of false hope in the people and country that electoral justice will be served and that the SLPP-led government will be forced to either step aside for an APC-led government or that the president will call for a rerun of last year’s presidential vote.
“There is a serious rift in the APC party executive. There are those who are saying Dr. Samura Kamara is weak. Why are they saying so at a time like this? At the initial stage the entire APC executive was behind Dr. Samura Kamara, seeking electoral justice. What is this talk about Dr. Samura Kamara being weak and inactive? If they knew he was weak, after losing the 2018 election, why was he re-elect as flagbearer for the APC? With all the young, vibrant, clever, strong and active members that we could have voted over Dr. Samura Kamara, why did over 1,000 delegates voted for him? That vote remains the single highest number of delegates’ votes for a flagbearer since the APC started electing its flagbearers. And now the party is saying he is weak? No! This sounds like a classic case of people’s loyalties being bought or compromised. This is an executive sabotage of Dr. Samura Kamara the leader, and a betrayal of the trust the grassroots members have in the executive in presenting a unified front to fight their battles,” said our source in the APC executive.
However, Dr. Samura Kamara continues to command widespread respect and support for championing the restoration of the true and rightful winner of the 2023 presidential election. The APC executives on his side together with the party’s Chapters in the Diaspora (The US, UK, Scandinavia, Africa, Ireland, etc.) are in full support of Dr. Samura Kamara leading the fight to ensure that all our votes are counted and accounted for.
“What the APC is doing is making President Bio look good while the APC is being brought into disrepute. At present there is no unity and everyone is in it for self. Those who want to make a name for themselves, are openly calling on Dr. Samura to make an exit. They don’t believe that President Maada Bio will hand power over even if it is proven that he lost the election,” said another source in the split executive.
“It is a shame that the APC cannot come together on this very important issue. The truth is that while President Bio is putting on a brave public face, in the background, and in close door meetings, he is under pressure to step aside. Dr. Samura Kamara is the winner of last year’s elections no matter what the ruling party government tries to say or do. At a time when they should be united, the APC is busy trying to outdo each other for executive positions, while they are abandoning their General on the battle field. This is the highest form of betrayal. We know those executive members that are trying to embarrass the party leader. When we get electoral justice, we will know what to do with those people. Now more than ever, we need a united party fighting behind our leader. We know and believe that he won the 2023 presidential elections and we will get to see electoral justice at the end of this tripartite process. There is no way we will continue to allow impunity to prevail over justice and the rule of law,” said a confident grassroots APC member and supporter of Dr. Samura Kamara.
The APC has been in disarray for a long time. Part of the reason President Bio and the SLPP Chairman, Dr. Prince Alex Harding have been saying the SLPP will not hand power over to the APC. This is now glaring. It is simply because the SLPP sees the APC as a totally disorganized and focused political party to subsequently handover to. As it is, the APC is proving its incoherence to lead a modern state. Many people say the current level of relationships within the APC executives does not evoke any strong sense of unity and loyalty that should define a government in waiting.
“The APC executive is trying to sell Dr. Samura Kamara out. What they are failing to realise is that they are selling themselves out. If they never believed in electoral justice then, let it behove on them that the vast majority of the party’s grassroots believe in it and are ready, prepared and convinced in achieving it with Dr. Samura Kamara in the lead.
Dr Samura, the APC and supporters of the rule of law will be vindicated and the incumbent and his party will be vanquished, just as they did when we voted for change across the country on 24 June, 2023. We have been cheated and we are awaiting electoral justice,” another APC grassroots member stated vehemently.