By Amadu Komba Mattia, New York, USA.
In a nation still grappling with the corrosive effects of corruption, the announcement of the resignation of Bai Mamoud Bangura, former Minister of Youth Affairs, to throw his hat in the ring of would-be flag bearers of the opposition, APC party is not only alarming, it is profoundly offensive.
In 2019, Bai Momoud Bangura was at the centre of a scandal involving the misappropriation of public funds intended to empower Sierra Leone’s youth and promote the country’s image through the arts. According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Bangura received Le 300 million from the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA), ostensibly on behalf of the Sierra Leone Movie Stars Guild. What transpired thereafter was nothing short of a textbook case of financial mismanagement and abuse of office.
Of that amount, Le 75 million was siphoned off directly by Mr. Bangura, with no justification and no public accounting. Another Le 220 million vanished under the stewardship of the Anti-Violence Movement, whose director, Bernard Conteh, was also implicated. The Permanent Secretary, Adekalie Samura, facilitated the debacle by approving disbursements without documentation, a breach of basic fiduciary
This was not a matter of poor judgment or bureaucratic error. This was blatant misappropriation of public funds; money meant to support artists, young filmmakers, and national development. Instead, it went into private hands.
What’s worse is that Mr. Bangura was allowed to settle the case out of court. A man who misappropriated state resources simply agreed to pay the money back, and walked free. This is not accountability; this is privilege. And now, this same individual has the audacity to ask delegates of the APC to elect him as their flag bearer, and by extension, Sierra Leoneans to entrust him with national leadership? It is a slap in the face to every honest civil servant, every struggling youth, every whistle-blower, and every voter who has demanded cleaner governance.
Bai Mamoud Bangura’s candidacy represents everything that is wrong with political culture in Sierra Leone: impunity, selective justice, and the recycling of tainted leaders. What message would his election as flag bearer send to future generations? That theft is tolerable so long as you have some sort of political backing to settle the matter? That public office is a means of enrichment, not service?
Now, to add insult to injury, Bai Mamoud has decided to run against his own political mentor, a senior APC figure and flag bearer aspirant, under whom he rose to prominence. Chernor Maju Bah, former APC parliamentary leader, is said to be deeply disappointed. Having once served as Bai Mamoud’s political mentor, Maju reportedly views his former protégé’s ambition as not only disloyal but a complete betrayal of trust, and the values and discipline the party once stood for. In a time when the APC needs unity, integrity, and wisdom, Bai Mamoud’s selfish maneuvering reeks of political opportunism, posturing and brinkmanship rather than substance.
The APC party faces a moral reckoning. If it is to regain the trust of the people, it must draw a line between the past and the future. That line cannot include individuals who have already failed the public test of integrity. Leadership begins with example, and Bai Mamoud Bangura is the wrong example.
Therefore, electing Bai Mamoud Bangura as the APC’s flag bearer would be nothing short of political suicide. It would play directly into the hands of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), who would waste no time in weaponising his past to discredit the entire opposition. The SLPP would not only relish the opportunity to see Bai Mamoud Bangura as the APC’s flag bearer and capitalise on his documented misconduct, but also highlight the APC’s staggering failure to self-cleanse. They would eat him alive, metaphorically speaking. Every debate, every campaign trail, every policy proposal would be drowned out by reminders of missing millions and shady settlements. And the APC would lose, not just the election, but the credibility it desperately needs to rebuild.
The APC, and by extension, Sierra Leone cannot afford to return to business as usual. Bai Mamoud Bangura’s candidacy must be rejected; not just by the APC delegates, but by every citizen who cares about honesty, dignity, and a future free from corruption.
