By Yusif Moiguah
Internal politics in the APC has taken a very interesting shift as old political friends are appearing as foes. Presently, the APC (All People’s Congress) leadership is in the United States. The deputy flagbearer in the 2018 and 2023 presidential election cycle, Hon Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah was recently in Philadelphia in the US States of Pennsylvania.
News reaching this medium is that while the flagbearer, Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara is also in the US, he is not there with Hon Maju Bah, a situation that has resulted to widespread speculations as to the meaning of this shift of focus to the diaspora with the party’s leaders on separate missions.
Sources in the party’s hierarchy say both men are in the US seeking support for their individual political futures and interests.
“Hon Chernor Maju Bah has been too quiet of late. He has been on the losing side for two elections. But according to our constitution he was not the frontrunner and has two attempts as flagbearer like any party person. We have been waiting for him to come in from the cold. Out of respect for Dr Samura Kamara and his advocacy to protect the people’s votes and getting electoral justice, Hon Chernor Maju Bah has been quiet. But we can see a shift of focus as he has been doing some campaigning as a potential flagbearer for 2028. There is also a change in relationship between the political godfathers and their surrogates in the party that were handpicked. These godfathers are looking for new people to put in the mix. How this continues to affect Dr Samura’s fight remains to the seen,” said an APC executive.
It is a foregone conclusion that Bio is going to complete his second term. After a year of dispute over the 2023 presidential vote, Bio is in the second year of his second term. He has been called “His Excellency” by the opposition leaders, a tacit approval of his second term win despite the APC leader’s refusal to accept the president’s declared victory.
“President Bio will complete his second term. This is not our wish but with our justice system this is our reality. Therefore it will be a waste of time, energy and focus to try to get to the bottom of the 2023 presidential vote without access to the voting data or going to court.”
“Since we know neither is going to work in our favour we have to move on and prepare for 2028. The party needs new, vibrant, young and committed leaders to emerge. However, the old guards in the party are still very active and have great influence here and abroad. They still want to influence who will and or should lead the APC party. While this is to ensure that their legacies still form part of the APC shift, their influence might end up being negative in light of how the party is still reacting to the flagbearer since 2018.”
“But these guys are all in the US seeking alliances. As a matter of fact most of the financial support for political candidates comes from overseas in the Sierra Leone diaspora. This is why you see all of them are in the US and other western nations seeking connections, support and other alliances before coming back to the party’s grassroots to announce their intentions. But we should not relegate the old timers to the backburners as they are still very much active and influential. We just hope their influence will not be negative,” the APC executives informed FOURM NEWS.
All across the APC landscape there is demand for the party to move forward. The initial rejection of the registration drive has given way to discussions of unity for the party to poll its resources, connections, supporters and finances together to support a flagbearer that will ensure that the party reclaims State House in 2028.
“Two back to back presidential losses cannot stop the APC from bouncing back and reclaiming the presidency. We did the same after two wins by the late former President Alhaji Dr Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The same will happen under President Dr Julius Maada Bio. But the party needs to sort out its leadership issues in peace and without recriminations and public squabbles. The APC has the human resources to occupy every political office in the party and government. But coming to terms to who to elect has always been our problem as old alliances die out, past leaders not wanting to give up their once vaulted positions in the party, public disputes that can be solved internally, name calling and back stabbing. We consider such tendencies as of the old APC. The new APC leadership that will emerge from our delegates’ conference will be one that the people will be pleased with. Who the next set of leaders will be is yet to be seen but we expect a lot of political jousting for relevance and position,” the APC executives predicted.
It should be reminded that in 2018 a little know technocrat was imposed on the APC by the outgoing party leader whose selection was immediately rejected by ranking partisans most of whom were in the race for the party’s flag. This meddling into the affairs of political parties by past leaderships remains a big problem with political parties not being able to be responsive to the extant needs of the party and people because the leadership is not allowed to evolve with and reflect the present and evolving times. There is a call from the APC party’s grassroots for the old guards to play their role as the party’s moral and ideological compass, while the current executives are busy getting the party ready to identify and elect a flagbearer that will be accepted, respected and liked by all and sundry, which reality is not farfetched.
