It is often said that political parties are bigger than individuals, but there are times when individuals seem weightier than political parties.
Politically weighty individuals are those who have rendered exceptional services to the country and party in such a way that it is difficult for them to be left out.
Samura Kamara, the current leader and flag-bearer of the main opposition, All People’s Congress epitomises those individuals who popularise political parties through hard work and service. He treads on the path of his predecessor, Ernest Bai Koroma who transformed Sierra Leone in just a term.
Samura Kamara is also expected to make similar achievements if not surpass his predecessor.
Outside the borders of Sierra Leone, Dr Samura Kamara is also greatly respected at the international fora having served the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Commonwealth secretariat in senior capacities.
The laurels earned has even sold APC to the Americans, British, Germans, Irish, French, Chines and Russians who are fighting hard to see that the electoral victory of the opposition, APC (All People’s Congress) is restored.
A popular argument holds that APC would not have earned such international support without Samura Kamara’s clout and contact.
Although APC is blessed with such a heavyweight politician, top executive officials have always wanted to see him out of the race owing to the hope that APC could make its way through without Kamara.
What an erroneous or wishful thinking? No one can rule out the notion that there would be great leaders in the APC in the near future, but this moment is meant for Samura Kamara.
Without him, it would go for years for APC to return to state house or may even perish completely. His records at the local and international arena speak for him.
Samura Kamara, a man who enjoyed little public attention rose to prominence in 2017 after he was selected flag-bearer of APC and contested the 2018 general election with the current President, Julius Maada Bio.
As a man of few words and small stature, he was the least known of all ministers although he proved to be the most competent.
The favourable economic ratings Sierra Leone had to her credit during Kamara’s tenure testified to his hard work and deep commitment to national development and high sense of responsibility.
Under Samura Kamara, Sierra Leone’s slow economy became the fastest growing in the world in 2013, a move that showed that Sierra Leone is up for business.
After Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, the economy was in complete shambles as then President Ahmed Tejan Kabba paid more attention to the consolidation of peace and democracy as it was the felt need at that time.
In spite of the millions of dollars poured into Sierra Leone in the immediate post-war period to rebuild a battered state, a good chunk of the money was stashed away into private accounts leaving Sierra Leone in a state of want.
When then Prime Minister, Tony Blair visited Sierra Leone in 2005, he stopped only in Lungi town in the Northern region and returned to homeland as he saw Sierra Leone as a country that could offer him nothing.
The horrific economic situation in Sierra Leone as well as other countries in Africa might have pushed then Prime Minister into launching the famous debt-relief project so that African countries can deliver services to their people.
Blair’s debt-relief project led to the cancellation of debts for Sierra Leone, but the situation was still dire and Samura Kamara became the right man at the right time.
Within few years, with Samura Kamara at the helm, Sierra Leone occupied a comfortable place among countries aspiring to achieve a middle income status.
As a trained economist, Kamara, former Finance Minister delivered to the people of Sierra Leone by transforming the economy through the Agenda for Change as well as the Agenda for prosperity.
Since hard work is rewarded with more work, his boss, then President Ernest Bai Koroma chose him as flag-bearer to continue Sierra Leone’s development projects.
Then flag-bearer faced heavy criticisms from the 29 APC flag-bearer aspirants since he never initially appeared in the race. Samura Kamara never voiced out his intention for the presidency, a factor that intensified his hatred among APC’s big guns.
Little wonder that Kamara was left alone in the campaign, but still fared on with the support of those who subscribed to his ideology. He is confident that despite the challenges, he would make it in the ballot box.
Kamara contested the 2018 election with tact and courage and was said to have won a landslide victory, but never formed a government as signs of a regime change were visible.
APC (All People’s Congress) got 69 parliamentary seats while then opposition, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) got 49 seats.
By virtue of the parliamentary configuration, Kamara won the elections but accepted to play second fiddle to Bio owing to the quest for peace backed up by the demand for regime change by the international community especially Britain, Sierra Leone’s colonial master.
As a real show of peace and humility, Kamara led a delegation of top APC members to State Lodge to congratulate President Bio on his electoral victory.
He comported himself throughout Bio’s tenure and remained law abiding even when he was charged with corruption, a case that has attracted the biggest doubt and controversy that any other matter in history.
Many see Samura Kamara’s case as a ploy to take Samura Kamara out of politics.
Many APC members and supporters never had any clue that the APC flag-bearer would win again the party’s flag in the January, 2023 National Delegates’ Conference in Makeni city.
His victory however brought again another shock to APC members who thought that Kamara could make it only in a selection and not election.
It was clear that the APC flag-bearer and presidential candidate won again the presidential election, but allegedly rigged by the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh who declared the incumbent, President Bio winner.
Bio was sworn in on the day amid heavy security presence on the streets and key government facilities. Contrary to the expectations of many Sierra Leoneans, Samura Kamara kept the peace.
However, the APC flag-bearer called no one to the streets but staged a sit-at-home by restraining APC’s elected officials (parliamentarians and councillors) from taking part in the government.
Such action nearly crippled the Bio regime prompting the need for the formation of a Tripartite Committee to look into alleged irregularities of the June 24, 2023 election after a three-day dialogue between the ruling party, SLPP and the main opposition, APC under the auspices of the international community (Commonwealth, African Union and ECOWAS).
Reliable sources at the Tripartite Committee intimated this press that the results reconciliation forms at the desk of the investigators have placed Samura Kamara on the lead, but APC members have been admonished to refrain from preempting the outcome of the election probe.
Close to one year, Dr Samura Kamara has been constantly dragged into confrontation between APC and SLPP especially in a politically charged situation.
Apart from being deprived the presidency after a supposed clear victory, Kamara has been an object of litigation and intimidation by the Bio regime.
Although President Bio, according to the communiqué, ought to have discontinued all politically motivated court cases, Samura Kamara is still appearing before the court on two counts of corruption.
Samura Kamara was also targeted for gun thuggery before and after the election.
A day after the polls, Samura Kamara was nearly assassinated by armed policemen during a shoot-out at APC headquarters in Freetown.
State security forces at Mile 38, few kilometres away from Freetown, also attacked his motorcade while returning home from an overseas trip on the election eve.
Kamara’s home in Freetown was also raided by soldiers armed to the teeth during attacks on police and military facilities late last year.
The attack which government officials said was a mere security breach quickly metamorphosed into an “attempted coup” prompting waves of arrest of persons suspected to have tight links with APC.
Despite such provocative actions, Samura Kamara was never moved into any action that would undermine the peace and security of the state.
These rare qualities of patience, comportment and tolerance to the ruling party at a time of pain, harassment and intimidation endeared Samura Kamara to the people of Sierra Leone and the international community.
Currently, Kamara is widely seen as the only way out and the panacea for Sierra Leone’s socio-economic and political problems as it was the case with former President Ernest Koroma who changed the face of APC from that violence to peace.
Samura Kamara is also expected to take the party to higher heights with sound record hard work.