The gods are working, in the All People’s Congress (APC) party. Whether it is for good or bad, the world would know at the end of the day. But what is clear is that members of the party, particularly the rank and file and those at the helm of affairs, seem to be dancing to the tunes and charms of their opponents, as the party continues to grind itself at the doors of the court, with its members attacking and counter-attacking each other or one group against another. Put in other words, the APC is at sixes and sevens, as they continue to battle in and out of court, while the sun goes down and time continues to elude them towards the almighty June 24, 2023 national elections. It is as if the predictions of the First Lady, Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, are coming to pass, when few days ago she said that the catastrophic infighting that would put the APC party asunder is about to commence as the nation moves towards the upcoming elections that would leave the party with no leg to stand on or a standard bearer to contest her husband in the race for the State House. “You see: wae Maada Bio don go unopposed!” Mrs Bio told a small wary gathering of SLPP supporters in the US where she attended the recent UN Summit.
Nine months to polling day, the APC is yet to mend fences or resolve the fisticuffs within the structures of the party owing to the fact that its key and senior members are starkly divided over several issues ranging from constitutional amendments to membership and flag-bearer position. Hence over the years, since it lost power in 2018, the party has been treading on rough ground with its members filing one court case after another while its opponents, such as the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), are busy putting things in place to win the upcoming elections hands down.
Currently a member of the 21-man Interim Transitional Governance Committee (ITGC), born out of a court verdict after a longwinded legal battle over respect for democratic values, has filed a legal suit against the interim body chairman Alfred Peter Conteh, to face justice for his “misdeeds” and alleged contempt of court, with an appeal to the court to declare null and void some of the decisions made by the 21-man committee.
The applicant in the matter is lawyer Alpha M. Jalloh, a member of the 21-man committee, which has been fighting tooth and nail to address differences and other controversial issues in the ITGC or the party.
Despite all the mediation efforts by members within and outside the ITGC, the rancour within the committee has finally found its way into the courts. And it is expected that the matter would soon be heard in court, where all sides in the case will be given the opportunity to lay their cards on the table before a final judgement will be issued.
It would be recalled that the ITGC was born out of a court decision, following a protracted court matter between the party’s then executive and a splinter group known as the NRM – National Reformation Movement – with a member of the movement Alfred Peter Conteh emerging victorious, thus he was appointed as chairman of the interim committee.
In the ruling, the Judge ordered the APC to dissolve its executive body and set up a 21-man committee that would take the party to its primary elections and delegates’ conference within a three-month period.
Since the formation of the ITGC, established by the Justice Adrian Fisher court ruling of 28 April 2022, disagreements and dissatisfaction have been the outcome from members of the committee.
While anything is possible in human life and endeavours, especially in political party affairs, it is expected that the APC at this point in time should be ironing out their stark differences and get themselves together in order to put their house in order and set for the 2023 presidential and general elections.
However here are they again in court drawing daggers at each other, although some would say this time around it was for “the good of the party,” to redeem the APC from the grip of an “enemy” within, hence going to court is a sage decision.
It is believed by many that, as it continues to show disregard for the interest of the party and its supporters, as well as to make misleading and unlawful decisions, the Alfred Peter Conteh ITGC aims at taking the APC to the drains to fight a losing battle in the June 24, 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Over the last four years and more, members of various camps within the party have been involving in fierce infighting and character assassination of potential party flagbearers. This is too bad for a party that wants to win a national election and take the reins of power from an incumbent party that is looking for the slightest chance to destabilise the opponents.
This tendency of character assassination and nagging situation would leave the APC and its big guns with no leg to stand on as related to defending themselves against corruption charges and winning the next presidential election.
FORUM would like to reiterate that even though some party members and supporters are saying the APC is a family and once election time approaches, the squabbles and internal wrangling in the party would be water under the bridge, all we are seeing for now is that things are at sixes and sevens within the party. It is no gainsaying that the situation in the party is in a rather confused and badly organised state, something that suggests what might happen during the period of electioneering and the electoral processes, as things have started unfolding with the voter registration exercise and the party’s impending lower-level and standard bearer elections.
Until otherwise, the APC are operating at the mercy of the Political Parties Registration Commission and the courts, with a fresh suit slammed at Alfred Peter Conteh by lawyer Alpha M. Jalloh both of the ITGC.
For FORUM, our ears are on the ground as the matter or drama unfolds.
