A leader who promises to turn a generational gap into a generational gateway – and why APC delegates must make that promise real.
By Mrs FUDIA Philip Conteh. 20th September 2026.
He didn’t say it as a slogan. He said it as a commitment.
On 11 September 2026, at the launch of the DIB UK&I Iron Ladies, Dr. Ibrahim Bangura stood before a crowd and made a declaration that cut through the usual political noise:
” *I will be a bridge between the young and the old.”*
That single sentence is not a soundbite. It is a diagnosis and a prescription at once.
Dr Bangura understands exactly where Sierra Leone’s problem lies – not in a lack of resources, not in a lack of talent, not in a lack of young people hungry for change. The problem is disconnection. The old carry the wisdom of experience. The young carry the energy of ambition. *But too often, they stand on opposite banks of the same river, unable to reach each other.
Dr Bangura says he will be the bridge. That means he does not replace one generation with another. He connects them.
What This Means for Young People?:
It means your hope has a destination.
Dr Bangura does not talk about young people as a group to be managed or pacified. He talks about us as the architects of the New Sierra Leone.
*His message is direct: young people will be supported, mentored, and equipped with the competencies and skills to thrive – not survive, but thrive.*
His career proves this is not empty rhetoric. Eighteen (18) years in governance, peace-building, and institutional reform across more than 30 African countries. Work with ECOWAS on Women, Peace and Security. A scholar-practitioner who has spent his life rebuilding broken systems.
*That is what a bridge-builder does – he connects what has been torn apart.*
Young people are gravitating toward Bangura not because he promises them power, but because he promises them a place at the table. Not as tokens. As partners.
*What This Means for APC Delegates?*
It means your vote is bigger than one man.
Dr Bangura has said it plainly: *”At the end, only one person will be flag bearer, but the APC must always remain the APC.”*
That is not the language of someone desperate to win at any cost. *That is the language of someone who wants to heal the party first, so the party can win later.*
*Delegates, you know what division has cost this party.* You have lived through the fractures, the losses, the feeling of watching from the outside. *Dr Bangura offers something different: a clean slate, a clear vision, and a proven ability to bring people together rather than drive them apart.*
*His mantra – heal, unite, build – is not a campaign jingle. It is a sequence.* You cannot build what is still broken. You cannot unite what is still bleeding. Bangura understands the order of operations.
And he is widely seen as the candidate who can bridge the party’s internal divides and present a united front in 2028.
*One senior APC official put it bluntly: “Among us at the party, we know that DIB is the right man for the 2028 elections, and we will not let this opportunity pass.”*
*The Bridge Needs Both Sides to Walk Across:*
A bridge does not work if only one side uses it. Bangura’s vision requires the old to reach out and the young to step forward.
*To the young people of Sierra Leone:* Keep your hope anchored in Dr. Ibrahim Bangura. Not blind faith – but informed trust.
*This is a man who has spent his life turning fractured systems into functioning ones.* He is not asking for your vote. *He is asking you to believe that a different kind of politics is possible.* And he is showing you, through his record, that he can deliver it.
To the delegates of the All People’s Congress:
You hold the power to make this bridge real. *Your vote is not just for a flag bearer. It is for a future where the APC is not remembered for what it lost, but respected for what it rebuilt.*
Reserve your vote for Dr. Ibrahim Bangura. Not because he is the only choice – but because he is the right one.
Heal. Unite. Build.
The blueprint is clear. The bridge is drawn. The only question left is whether the people on both sides will walk across it.
Dr. Ibrahim Bangura has said he will be that bridge. Now it is up to the young to trust it – and up to the delegates to build it.
The future of the APC – and of Sierra Leone – depends on the choice you make.
Delegates, let us make the bridge a reality
DIB: WE MOVE AHEAD.
