By Nightwatch Newspaper Editorial Team
Diana Finda Konomanyi is certainly a colossus in the politics of Kono District. She is a very strong woman member of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party with a very strong pedigree in the socio-infrastructural uplifting of the district banking of the development strides of his late father, F.D. Konomanyi. She has held various key positions in the party at district and regional levels. She also served as Minister of Local Government and Community Development and Minister of Lands and the Environment in the government of former President Ernest Bai Koroma.
With the party now in opposition and Kono District being a political swing District which since 2017 pitched with the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), has Diana Finda Konomanyi, Lady Diana, a chance of recouping the district’s direction back to the APC party to ensure its complete takeover by 2028?
To answer this unequivocal question, we have in this article attempted to critically assess Diana’s chances viz-a-vis the APC’s chance of reclaiming Kono District and what political significance that takeover will be for Diana Finda Konomanyi and her political party.
The APC in Kono District is in dire straits – desolate and in complete disarray due to the apparent level of intimidation, harassment and bullying antics meted out to its members by SLPP supporters, thereby cowing them and making them sheepish and unsure of any guaranteed protection from their own very APC party, should there be a need.
Our Overview:
Diana Finda Konomanyi also politically popularly known as “Iron Lady” remains one of the most influential female politicians in Sierra Leone, particularly within the All People’s Congress (APC) party and in Kono District. Her political track record, deep rooted in the district, is characterized by a longstanding party loyalty that has unquestionably positioned her as a pivotal figure in the party’s efforts to regain political ground in this swing district ahead of the 2028 elections.
At the peak of the APC reign and of Diana’s political position in Kono District and the Eastern Region, as she was the Eastern Regional Chairperson of the party at the time of the 2017 elections, she carved a niche of her own as a political dinosaur and a Philanthropist. Her humanity, showed and demonstrated at with passion was a beacon of hope for so many families including young and elderly people. Because of the kind of life-saving positive impacts her interventions made on people’s lives and on the general wellbeing of communities, she came to be known euphemistically as “The Kabba” (a symbolism of the Holy Black Stone in Mecca) because once she turns her attention to an individual, a family or community, like of the blessings for touching the Holy Black Stone in Mecca, the impact of that attention changes lives and circumstances for a very long time.
In faraway Kombayendeh in Lei Chiefdom in the East of Kono District for instance, Lady Diana’s name continues to resonate in churches and mosques with prayers because of her iconic intervention in constructing a major bridge leading to the township which is also a marketing centre.
Diana was very close to her people; the women, traditional and temporary, the Paramount Chiefs and other traditional leaders, the religious bodies, social groups, traders, drivers, teachers, pupils, and even the traditional ‘Donsos’ the defenders of Konoland during the war years. The people of Kono want her back to go and reclaim her glory!
But because the APC allowed itself to be engulfed in petty and unrealistic bickering that led to unfounded and baseless accusations and the casting of unfair aspersions in an uncouth struggle for who was who in the district, her distractors within the party, instead of working to consolidate her gains for and on behalf of the party, took to misogyny, the feminist negativity, castigating her as a woman who should not lead men in a district that is predominantly patriarchal and with a male dominated traditional societal hold.
However, most of her admirers argued at the time that she should have held on and not succumb to such distractions and negative sentimentalisms, while a few had genuinely argued that it was good she let loose; for those hounding and hunting her to see and realize their own emptiness; and indeed, the consequences of those reckless undertones and undermining antics ultimately saw the downward spiral trend of the APC in the district and a consequent relapse into opposition that is now causing an apparent insecurity for its members and supporters in the district.
But can Lady Diana bounce back to rescue the APC? The question is a big yes if she is countenanced as a true Comrade by her skeptics and those in the higher echelon. She must be regarded by her former comrades in arms in the 2007-2012-2017 battles in Kono. Lady Diana will certainly be the game changer if she is given the wherewithal and the required support and acknowledgement. But besides these considerations at the party level, her chances, and the APC’s, will depend on several critical factors.
Therefore, based on our knowledge of the political climate and dynamics of Kono District and from afar knowledge and observations of the political and social game-play of this strong and efficient Kono woman, these are our assessment of Diana Finda Konomanyi’s chances of redirecting Kono Back to the APC.
Political Capital and Legacy: Diana has held some of the highest offices for a woman in Sierra Leone, serving as Minister of Local Government and later as Minister of Lands and the Environment under former President Ernest Bai Koroma. She has also served as Chairperson of the Kono District Council, giving her an impeccable grassroots governance experience. These credentials afford her both national recognition and local credibility.
Her deep involvement in the APC and loyalty to the party even during opposition years adds to her moral authority and credibility among party loyalists in Kono and across the country. Her resilience in a male-dominated political space resonates with many, especially among women and youth constituencies. For a very long time running, Diana has epitomized sisterhood and has proven to the women of Kono, across the board that she can stand for a woman; any woman in whatever situation.
Grassroots Influence and Local Networks: Diana’s local roots and sustained engagement with her base in Kono give her a clear advantage. She is known to have a strong support base, including traditional leaders, women’s groups, and youth networks. However, the effectiveness of this base in converting political support into votes in 2028 will depend on how well she mobilizes, organizes, and leverages these networks under changing political dynamics.
APC’s Current Standing in Kono: While Kono has historically leaned toward the APC it has increasingly become a swing district, especially evident in the 2018 and 2023 general elections. The emergence of strong local candidates from other parties—especially the SLPP and smaller parties—has fractured traditional loyalties.
The APC will need more than just nostalgia or party loyalty to win back the district. It must present a compelling development agenda and candidates who can connect with the evolving aspirations of the district’s electorate. Diana’s role, therefore, is not only to rally support but to help shape that narrative.
Challenges Diana Faces: Generational Shift: There’s a rising demand among the youth for new, relatable leadership. Diana, while still influential, must address whether she represents change or continuity.
Internal Party Dynamics: The APC itself is not without internal fractures. If Diana is sidelined or if the party fails to unite behind her leadership in Kono, it will weaken her ability to deliver the district.
Developmental Promises vs. Outcomes: Some residents may judge Diana and the APC based on past unfulfilled promises during their time in government. She must confront this narrative convincingly.
Political Significance of Winning Kono in 2028:
For the APC: Strategic Electoral Mathematics: Kono is a vote-rich district and often a bellwether in national elections. Regaining it would signal APC’s resurgence in eastern Sierra Leone, challenging the SLPP’s traditional dominance in the region.
National Momentum: A strong performance in Kono could provide the APC with psychological and numerical momentum going into 2028.
For Diana Finda Konomanyi: Political Redemption and Resurgence: Delivering Kono would cement her status as one of the APC’s most successful regional mobilizers and possibly position her for a high-profile national role post-2028, perhaps even as a Vice Presidential candidate.
Gender and Leadership Legacy: A successful reclaiming of Kono would also elevate her legacy as a woman who not only broke political barriers but also reshaped electoral outcomes in favor of her party.
Party Influence: She would gain immense bargaining power within the APC, shaping policy direction and internal power balances.
Conclusively, it will not be an easy ride because the district is in itself fragmented along political lines, with indications pointing to popular support for the SLPP since the carry the purse and can lavish it at will. However, Diana Finda Konomanyi stands a credible chance of helping the APC reclaim Kono District in 2028, and this will depend on her ability to reignite grassroots enthusiasm, strategically navigate intra-party dynamics, address youth and developmental concerns, and present a forward-looking vision.
What to watch for if she succeeds will not only be limited to the enhancement of her political capital, but she would have reshaped the national political calculus, potentially making Kono District a cornerstone in an APC comeback. Her leadership in this effort would be symbolically and strategically significant.