Dismayed by the current stalemate and political crisis, the people of Sierra Leone particularly those in opposition heartlands blame it on ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma as they remain on the wrong end of what looks like a state-sponsored violence.
The milk of human kindness filled in the former President, they claimed, brought about the ‘PAOPA’ leadership, dubbed the worst in Sierra Leone’s political history.
Koroma has been on record to have been kind and frank with then opposition, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) than any other President, but did not get back the reward from a man he once treated as an heir to the throne.
Apart from the hot chase of former ministers, ex-President Koroma himself is now a prime target for the Bio regime as army tanks and trucks are being rolled in his hometown of Makeni city over allegations of masterminding a coup.
One of Koroma’s guard in his house in Makeni was picked up by a joint team of police and army officers as one of those who participated in Sunday’s security breach which has now amounted to an attempted coup according to security experts.
The raid also reached Ernest’s residence in Freetown where a guard was shot dead and another taken hostage by the assailants. The manhunt also continues as most of President Koroma’s close associates have fallen into police nets and have been incarcerated in several police cells waiting for arraignment.
Former Minister of Youth Affairs and now APC National Organising Secretary, Bai Mahmoud Bangura was also picked up in his home owing to allegations of bearing a hand in the attempted coup.
The waves of arrest have only paused but not ceased as more opposition politicians are being gone after by the security forces, and the former President would be next as the security agencies continue to issue threats against the former President.
In the ensuing investigation, President Bio made it clear that nobody’s status would be regarded as anyone named would be arrested. It does not matter even if President Koroma is linked to the crime. “…We will follow the evidence wherever it leads us, and all those found culpable, no matter their status shall be held fully to account for their actions…,” President Bio said in an address to the nation.
Bio however allayed public fear that specific groups will be targeted based on tribe, region and political affiliation. “Our response to the events of November 26 will be measured and determined along only one parametre: rule of law, nothing more, nothing less.” It however remains unclear whether Koroma would go out clean of the allegation as Bio is still hunting him.
But, his hope only lies in the hands of the people of Sierra Leone who are ready to come to his defence if Bio attempts to lay hands on him as they quite well know that Koroma bears no hand in the coup.
The former President, few days ago, had been exonerated by army chief that he was not connected in any shape or form to Sunday’s shooting. Lieutnant-General Peter Lavahun went further to reject the shooting as an act of coup.
The threat of arrest hanging on the former President is the latest in a series of Bio’s attempts to nail him on the cross. Such moves began in the early days of the Bio regime.
A week after Bio was sworn in, well-armed men surfaced on the premises of the ex-President’s daughter saying it was a move to recover stolen property.
The attackers, according to reliable sources, were thugs linked to the SLPP and quickly went on an operation to recover public vehicles as they believed that the vehicle used by the President’s daughter was a government asset. Koroma was shocked at the death squad on the daughter’s premises as he questioned Bio’s capacity to lead Sierra Leone or his sincerity to his promises while in opposition.
“Either Bio is not in control of the country or not sincere with what he was saying,” Koroma expressed doubt and fear, but the crackdown never stopped.
The brutal raids marked the beginning of a number of threats, intimidation and harassment the former President continued to suffer Bio’s hands using the anti-graft agency, the courts, the police and the army.
The former President, on several occasions, has been invited and interrogated by the Anti-Corruption Commission on allegations of corruption and money laundering.
Throughout the investigation, no evidence was adduced to show that Koroma really committed the offences, and had seemed to be at ease for months, but the latest threats of arrest for attempted coup strained relationship between Bio and the ex-president thus raising questions about Koroma’s kindness and compromise with Bio in the past years.
Throughout his ten-year rule (2007-2018), Koroma would extend alms to top SLPP politicians and hold regular meetings with them at State House as well as State Lodge.
The current President Julius Maada Bio, according to reliable sources, enjoyed a fair share of Koroma’s largesse much to the annoyance of APC politicians.
During the Ebola period (2014-2016), the former President enlisted Bio’s cooperation as he offered him thousands of dollars to roll back Ebola especially in the South-East regions, SLPP’s strongholds.
It is not clear whether President Bio accounted for the money entrusted to him after Ebola was trampled in the dust. The ex-President also refused to conduct an inquest into the execution of 29 prominent Sierra Leoneans including a police chief, James Bambay Kamara which would have badly implicated Bio at that time.
The executions were carried out following a coup d’etat staged by the defunct National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) which enjoyed legitimacy and international recognition through policy effectiveness.
Bio, initially was Secretary of State, South, and later Vice Chairman, NPRC before staging a putsch that made him Head of State. Such command positions would have made Bio a key object of investigation had the Coroner’s inquest been formed up, and Koroma’s effort at whittling down the importance of such investigative body brought a fall out between Ernest Koroma and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Serry Kamal (late).
The ex-President also let Bio off the hook when he blocked his motorcade in central Freetown, a move that created a general feeling that there was a tie between the former and current Presidents although Bio usually said he and his predecessor were not friends.
In his last days in office, ex-President Koroma took several decisions that cost APC’s victory in the 2018 elections with the dismissal of then Vice President, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana being a key one.
Some senior APC politicians even said Bio did not win 2018 elections, but Koroma’s insistent appeals to the incumbent candidate, Samura Kamara created a turn around.
Bio was pronounced winner of the elections and sworn in late in the night at Raddison Blu, a popular hotel in Freetown. Out of State House, the former President hardly condemns the Bio regime for most of the serious human rights abuses and mass killings committed in Sierra Leone in the past five years (2018-2023).
Ernest’s silence at a time he should speak up is seen as strange and bizzare as ex-Presidents question the activities of their successors when they step outside the law regardless of political party affiliation, tribe and region. Former US President, George Bush criticised his successor, Donald Trump over the ‘America First’ policy referring to such move as hyepernationalist.
Had the policy gone unquestioned, United States would have taken her hands off in several organisations including NATO (Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation) through which she displayed her greatness on the global platform.
It is a different case in Sierra Leone where an ex-President has been mute all this while about a successors’ errors despite widespread terror campaign that many said it could amount to ethnic cleansing. Koroma also displayed the milk of human kindness in his handing over note in which he advised his successor not to do away with fuel and food subsidies, a way of cushioning abject poverty among Sierra Leoneans.
The former President who declared himself as a subject of the new government assured President Bio that he would always be available for advice on critical state matters. Even when Bio failed to follow the right steps in the appointment of the Chief Electoral Commissioner, former President Koroma stood by Bio’s side as it was later revealed in a row by other political parties.
The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 makes it clear that leaders of political parties must be consulted prior to the appointment of an election boss, a procedure that was ignored by President Bio.
Konneh, who many said, had little experience in the conduct and supervision of general elections was handpicked from the Financial Intelligence Unit to head the election agency despite intense criticisms from opposition political parties.
At a press conference at SLPP office in Freetown, Chairman of the ruling party, Dr Prince Harding insisted that Konneh would conduct the elections by hook or crook following a 72-hour ultimatum issued by the opposition leader over non-publication of the voter’s register.
The opposition Press statement issued on 14th June, 2003 indicates that either the electoral data is published or the election boss resigns.
But, in a sudden twist of events, Kamara swallowed his words as he urged Sierra Leoneans to cast their votes which would be protected although the means of protection was never clearly spelt out.
Ernest Koroma was also said to have played a role in seducing the APC presidential candidate into participating in the election in the name of peace although the aftermath of voting was one of the greatest nightmares Sierra Leone has ever seen.
It came out clearly from local and international observers that the opposition leader, kamara is on the lead, and credible sources said he even won the election, but Bio refused to step aside as he enjoys police and army back up.
Inter- Religious Council of Sierra Leone, civil society organisations especially Institute of Governance Reform and the Peace Commission appeared to have thrown their weight behind President Bio to get away with the rigging. Even head of the Catholic Community in Sierra Leone, Arch Bishop, Tamba Charles prevailed on the APC leader to accept the results for Sierra Leone to move on but never admonished Bio to go for a run off or re-run.
As avenues to persuade Samura Kamara exhausted, Ernest Bai Koroma became SLPP’s last hope to turn to. In a twinkle of an eye, Bio renewed friendship ties with ex-President Koroma by expressing sentiments of good will in President Koroma’s 70th birthday celebration.
Bio’s birthday wish to a man he publicly declared an enemy took many Sierra Leoneans aback, but it was never done without a reason as Bio had hoped that Ernest Koroma would convince Samura Kamara again to accept a second term.
Visit of ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) parliament Speaker, Mohamed Tunis to ex-president in Makeni city was a follow up of President Bio’s call to Koroma, but there was hardly any success as APC’s presidential candidate could not be appeased this time.
Bio, subsequently became under threat from key SLPP members who do not want to see him playing second fiddle to the former President. An audio apparently released by Kutubu Koroma indicated that they would run Bio out of office if he came closer to Ernest Koroma.
“Bio must tell us either he won the election or he did not,” Kutubu angrily said in the audio.
However, it was also reported that ex-President Koroma urged the APC leader and presidential candidate to see Bio at State House although what was discussed remained a closely guarded secret.
But, the visit boomeranged as Samura Kamara was accused of receiving a US$2m bribe from Bio in exchange for the presidency, a move that reduced Kamara’s popularity among top APC and grassroot members.
Even the social media ventriloquist, Abdul Will Kamara popularly called Adebayor turned against his once admired politician, Samura Kamara against whom he used obscene words.
For months, Kamara’s safety was at stake not until the truth came out that he received nothing as a bribe from no one in the SLPP not even President Bio. Ernest’s seeming compromise with SLPP is seen by many as playing double standards to ensure a continuity of the Bio regime against all odds.
But, Sierra Leoneans who stand on neutral ground say that Ernest Koroma should not be blamed for Bio’s misrule as they look back at the relationship between Koroma and President Ahmed Tejan Kabba between 1996 and 2007.
Although ideologies of the two main political parties in the country are not the same, President Kabba however worked with Ernest Koroma while the latter was the opposition leader for the APC.
Koroma, at one time, was appointed Chairman of a committee to establish NASSIT (National Social Security and Insurance Trust), an institution that pays pension to retired workers of the public and private sectors.
The relationship between Presidents Kabba and Koroma was intimate so much that the latter succeeded the former in a peaceful political transition with top SLPP members accusing the late President of a sell out to the APC at that time.
Kabba also played a role similar to that of ex-President Koroma who handpicked Samura Kamara in a national delegate conference in 2017 in Makeni city, North of Sierra Leone.
Knowing fully well that Charles Francis Margai was a popular choice in 2006, he worked very hard to secure votes for Vice President, Solomon Ekuma Berewa who should emerge flag-bearer but not to become President.
Kabba also knew that with Berewa as flag-bearer and presidential candidate, there will be deep divisions in the SLPP which badly impact on the party’s performance in the elections.
It came out as planned the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) emerged from SLPP with Charles Margai as leader taking away some key and grassroot members of the SLPP.
A large number of Kamajor ex-fighters supported Margai owing to his robust defence he put up for Hinga Norman and other commanders, Allieu Kondewai and Moinina Fofanah at the defunct Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Norman was the CDF (Civil Defence Force) Coordinator of which the Kamajor was a significant component to repel the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) rebels but committed serious human rights violations characterised by mass killings, looting, pillage, sexual slavery among others.
However, Hinga Norman still remained an admirable and dominant personality among South-Easterners at that time and his arrest tore the party apart. In the 2007 elections, PMDC took away 10 parliamentary seats the first young party to score such political victory, but created a chance for APC to come to power, thanks to Pa Kabba.
Like Koroma, Kabba also got the taunts of his party who accused him of a secret deal with APC, and little wonder that few SLPP members attended Kabba’s funeral few years after he left State House.
A cursory inspection of the manner in which Presidents come and take exit out of the political landscape, it could be safe to state that it was a system of well managed political transitions.
The only difference lies in the attitude of a successor towards a predecessor: while Ernest Koroma was mild and kind to Tejan Kabba, Julius Maada Bio takes a different path. Today, the people of Sierra Leone are blaming an innocent Ernest Koroma leaving out key players.