“APC, Back To Power,” is Charles Francis Margai’s exact words at the APC (All People’s Congress) headquarters in Freetown about a week ago. He made the statement during his declaration for APC, a party that has shown signs of coming to power less than a month. Margai assured APC politicians that he would sell Dr Samura Kamara in the South-East and that APC will emerge victorious in the 2023 elections.
At this moment, Charles Margai remains certain that APC will come back to power although other politicians have defected to other political parties. Former Minister of Information and Communications, Alpha Kanu as well as former Vice President, Victor Bockarie Foh have crossed over to SLPP. Margai’s declaration for APC is a big threat to SLPP, a party that is seemingly losing the political grip. It is more dangerous for SLPP especially when five parliamentarians have declared for People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), a party led by Mr Margai.
The declaration means SLPP’s grip of Kono has been weakened to the core. President Julius Maada Bio and his team of ministers were confident that Kono was their stronghold after the seeming collapse of CFC. But, latest event has proved them wrong; it now a political battlefield. SLPP is worried at the moment as Margai’s defection means a lot to them.
APC hardly loses elections whenever it party gets the support of Charles Margai. The main opposition party won the 2007 elections when Margai threw his weight behind former President Ernest Bai Koroma taking him to different parts of the country especially in the South-East. He ensured that the former President and the campaign team reached the most remote areas of the South-East regions to ensure that APC win the election. He would put up with the heat of the day and the chill of the night for an APC victory, and it came to pass.
Since he was impressed with the leadership of former President Koroma, Margai supported again APC in 2012 and the party won the elections that was conducted that year. In 2018, Margai however abandoned APC and supported SLPP with President Bio as presidential candidate hoping that Bio would change the narrative. SLPP won the election, and Charles Margai was appointed Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
His appointment was not destined to last long as he was sacked by President Bio after Margai was accused of divulging sensitive information to the former President. Margai went back to his chambers after his dismissal from a party once led by his own father as Prime Minister. Margai, the legal luminary, has been quite active in providing legal services to most APC politicians who were arrested and detained by SLPP government. When the former Minister of Social Welfare, Dr Sylvia Blyden was detained over sedition and publication of false news, Charles Margai appeared in court in her defence.
Former Minister of Public Works, Kemo Sesay also enjoyed Charles Margai’s legal protection few months ago. Mr Sesay was detained at the Pa Demba Road Correctional Centre for allegations of cyber bullying and stalking. In plain terms, he was accused of using invectives against President Bio via social media.
The former APC minister saw the light of day only when Margai stood in his defence. Margai who has today developed strong love and admiration for APC was an SLPP strong man in years gone by. He had been the people’s choice on several occasions, but the elders used to prevail on him to wait for his time.
In 1996, he was going to be elected as the party’s flag-bearer, but was prevailed by SLPP stalwarts to stand down for President Ahmed Tejan Kabba. He did as advised as he took the back seat as Tejan Kabba became the Presidential candidate. Kabba won the hotly contested 1996 election with Margai vigorously supporting his administration.
He served Kabba as Internal Affairs Minister, and he received hope from the then President that he would succeed him after his tenure. It was in 2006 during a convention in Makeni that Margai’s hope was shattered when late Solomon Ekuma Berewa was elected SLPP’s flag-bearer under Kabba’s influence.
It was a clear show of injustice to Charles Margai who decided to fight back. He formed PMDC as a resistance movement to SLPP victory in 2007 elections. Margai gained wide support among SLPP youth owing to his defence he provided for late Chief Sam Hinga Norman who was Coordinator of the Civil Defence Force during Sierra Leone’s civil war (1991-2002). A large number of South-Eastern youth were ex-Kamajor fighters and their support for Hinga Norman did not waver at all.
They saw him as a hero and not a war criminal although there were facts to the contrary. They were also ready to support anybody who worked to restore Norman’s freedom. Margai took SLPP by surprise when he won 10 parliamentary seats in the 2007 elections.
Although he did not get the number of seats again in parliament, PMDC still remains a formidable force in Sierra Leone’s political landscape. Margai’s is the most successful third force ever to have clinched such a huge number of seats. This time, he is ready to put up strong support again for APC and Dr Samura Kamara who is widely referred to as the country’s next President.