By: Sayoh Kamara
The question on the lips of APC party supporters and many Sierra Leoneans now is: Will Chief Samuel Sam-Sumana actually live and die as a member of the All People’s Congress (APC) party if he loses out to the party at the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC)? At his well-attended press conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Aberdeen in Freetown, he enthusiastically called out to the party: “I was born APC; I am living APC and I will die APC.”
But he also informed his audience that he has taken his party of birth and death to the PPRC in an apparent move to seek conciliation as he maintained at the same press conference: “I have not decided to go to court…” With all things being equal, the party as it edges towards its 2026 election season, a dramatic showdown looms within with the former Vice President, challenging the party at the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) over a clause in the party’s 2020 constitution requiring five years of uninterrupted membership for eligibility to contest for party leadership.
The stakes are massive: a win for Sam-Sumana could open the door for his return as APC flagbearer contender; a loss could push him toward political exile, alliances, or even rebellion.
Either of the scenarios can be said to be right on the table for Sam-Sumana and his band of loyalists for consideration. It is widely believed that they have weighted the pros and cons of either of the actions to reach a decisive decision action on which is dependent on the outcome from the PPRC.
THE HEART OF THE DISPUTE: The controversial five-year continuous membership clause was introduced during the APC’s 2020 constitutional reforms. Party officials argue it was designed to ensure loyalty and stability, but Sam-Sumana views it as a targeted maneuver to block his ambitions following his 2015 expulsion, which was later declared unconstitutional by Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court.
At a packed press briefing in Freetown, Sam-Sumana made his feelings clear: “I am APC, I live APC, and I will die APC,” he declared passionately, adding, “They kicked me out of my father’s house, but this fight is bigger than me. It is about justice, fairness, and the soul of our party. If they can do this to me, no member is safe.”
SCENARIOS IF SAM-SUMANA LOSES: Turning to the Courts: If the PPRC rules against him Sam-Sumana, his most immediate option would be the judiciary. His legal history gives him confidence: in 2017, he successfully challenged his dismissal as Vice President.
However, court battles are lengthy, expensive, and could drag dangerously close to the APC National Delegates Convention slated for 2026.
The thought of rallying Kono District as an APC vote spoiler: Kono District which was considered as Sam-Sumana’s political stronghold appears to be very shaky now, giving his abrupt decision to rejoin the APC in an apparent disapproval of the Kono people. Kono District is now a no-man’s political zone, but a likelihood of it tilting support to the APC party. The SLPP’s unfulfilled promises of infrastructural developments under the political cleavage of “Kono Matters” is poignantly being reflected on as sheer Shenanigan manipulation aimed at just getting their votes to endorse the party and President Julius Maada Bio’s second term.
Yes, his presence on the APC ticket in 2012 helped deliver the party and former President Ernest Bai Koroma’s landslide re-election. But that popularity had stemmed up against the backdrop of what could be referred to as the “Kono Nationalism” which had resurfaced in the wake of the popular uprising of the Kono people against the unusual mix of RUF rebels and renegade soldiers (Sobels) who were plundering Kono land for “Blood Diamonds”. The re-emergence of the ‘Konomoque’ philosophy stemmed by the local hunters-the civil defense force commonly called the ‘Donsos’ and later the Movement of Concerned Kono Youths (MOCKY) movement which engineered the final repel of the rebel-sobel alliance against the Kono people in Kono District and restored power and authority to the Paramount Chiefs and their people and ultimately the Government of Sierra Leone. Chief Sam-Sumana’s popularity and indeed the formation of the Coalition for Change (C4C) party were all hinged on this tribal nationalism. Disregarding these fundamentals in pursuit of a political agenda that appears to be carrying the name of the people of Kono District and indeed the indigenous Kono people, will require recalibration for Sam-Sumana’s appeal to gain resonance and the likely sympathy he enjoyed from his people following that unceremonious dismissal as Vice President and expulsion from the APC party. Kono District, as it would appear, is now in want of a political leader in whose personality the people can bestow their trust. That search beam is now being rayed at Diana Finda Konomanyi, Saa Emerson Lamina and the Paramount Chiefs.
The ability of one man to mobilize the estimated 500, 000 Kono voters, for any decisive political decision, will now largely depend on realism and this could be in who has done what for the people of Kono and not mere rhetoric and emotional sentimentalism in 2028.
“Kono people have always stood by Sam-Sumana in a symbolism of what our forefathers left with us: ‘Kono ee Kono Faa,” Sahr Musa, a youth leader in Koidu commented to this writer, pointing out that, when the APC humiliated, they felt our collective anger at the ballot box.” Kono is now internally divided—especially after defections to the APC and SLPP in recent years; and this has weakened his political grip on the district.
Can he align with the SLPP? Any possible alliance with the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) will spark a backlash from within, giving the entrenched political status of politicians such as Saa Emerson Lamina, Kai Lawrence Mbayoh (KLM), Saffea Moiwo and a host of others who are now seeing their political future with the SLPP. But anything is possible in Sierra Leone’s political ecosystem, as observed by a Political analyst: “Sierra Leonean politics has seen stranger alliances. If Sam-Sumana feels completely sidelined, the SLPP could provide him with a platform, though this would be a bitter pill for his base to swallow.” However, this move risks alienating his loyalists, many of whom view the SLPP as their historic rival and a party that has woefully disappointed them.
The APC party is notwithstanding, caught in a web between rules (Constitutionality) and reality. The APC leadership is insisting that the five-year clause is not about personal vendettas. The party’s Secretary General, Lansana Dumbuya had told journalists: “We hold no grudge against Chief Sam-Sumana. The APC Constitution applies equally to all members. No one is above the rules, not even a former Vice President.”
Some APC insiders, however, warn of the dangers of alienating someone they still perceive as a key political figure in Kono District; a district that has assumed the kingmaker role in the country’s political landscape over the years.
A senior party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, nervously admitted: “If we shut him out completely, we risk another repeat of 2018, when internal divisions handed victory to the SLPP.”
The PPRC’s Pivotal Role: The PPRC has already hinted at procedural lapses in how Sam-Sumana was expelled in 2015.
Last month, it ruled that the APC failed to follow proper disciplinary procedures, including the requirement for a National Delegates Conference, and ordered the party to revisit the decision. If the APC complies, Sam-Sumana could regain full membership and eligibility. If not, the dispute could escalate to Sierra Leone’s courts.
A civil society activist of Kono origin has described the situation as a “high-stakes gamble” for both sides noting: “The APC is seen to be caught between enforcing its constitution and preventing a political implosion. Sam-Sumana, on the other hand, is fighting for his political survival. This outcome is sure to have a debilitating impact on either side both at the 2026 or 2028 elections in ways we cannot yet predict.”
So, as the PPRC settles deliberate on this burning intra APC matter, one thing is clear: Sam-Sumana’s fight is not just about a party rule but about political identity and a possible threat of using influence over an institutionalized political party. Whether he emerges as an APC insider, a spoiler, or a defiant outsider, his next move may ripple far beyond Kono, shaping the APC’s political map for years to come. For now, everyone is watching as this political drama unfolds; one that could decide who holds the keys to State House in 2028. But in the midst of this cacophony, will Chief Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana keep to his open words of assurance to the APC party and Sierra Leoneans that: he was born, APC; he will live APC and will die APC? Or will he succumb to this popular African folklore: “A lady cannot be described by his suitors to be beautiful, but only expressing concern about the size and shape of her nose and in her reaction; she takes a knife and cuts off her nose.” I know only legends will relate with this very well.