By Joseph A. Kamanda

As the nation looks forward to having a government that will free the people from the current socioeconomic, political and leadership problems, all eyes are now constantly fixed on the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party to provide Sierra Leone with a permanent leadership solution.

The APC party is unquestionably the only alternative to transformative governance by a well-positioned government in waiting to democratically replace the failed incumbent Julius Maada Bio’s led Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). The competition for the APC standard bear position serves as a pointer to the fact that the party is a democratic political organization with action progress and commitment to redeem the people. Over seven aspirants including the only lady in the race Susan Bona who are vying for the presidential candidacy of the APC party, which is indicative of the fact that the party has the required human resource to fix the problems of the country. Hence all should throw their weights behind the most popular candidate to take the party back to power come June 24th.

In view of that, Sierra Leoneans the world over who are looking forward to APC’s most popular politicians – Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and the Majority Leader in the House of Parliament, Hon Chrenor Ramadan Maju Bah to provide the nation with the much-needed leaderships.

That APC is at an advance stage of preparations for its National Delegates’ Conference early this year, elsewhere in the country and in the diaspora, to elect new leaders and a flag bearer, the APC party should elect reliable and trustworthy leaders who will be entrusted with the social contract to mann the affairs of the APC and by extension the country as a whole for the next five years.

Delegates are therefore humbly expected to make the wisest political decisions ever in their lives for the general good at the approaching APC convention and cast their votes based on merits not sentiments. Delegates are thus encouraged to vote in the right aspirants in the right places. One with the required administrative leadership experience, competence, a national character, and popularity across the political divide to defeat Bio and the SLPP at first ballot come.

Much as the APC is going through appalling ordeals in the hands of its SLPP rival. The party has faced huddles ranging from one court matter to the other, illegitimate removals of ten legally elected APC Members of Parliament from the House, several overturning of dozens of by-elections outcomes, assaults of APC MPs in the Well, arbitrary arrests and detentions of APC MPs, party members, supporters and the likes.
Yet, Kamara and Bah up their guards, holding on for and on behalf of Sierra Leoneans and the APC. They deserve accolades for that even though there are other competitors in the APC flag bearer and vice presidential candidacy race will be analytically discussed in detail with the various specifics in subsequent pieces.

Back to the subject at hand, the aforesaid aspiring leaders have in diverse ways made significant contributions development of the APC party. Their various contributions continue to demonstrate their strong loyalties to the party, ensuring that leaderships always prevail amidst political challenges. They have positioned themselves very well to provide the party with a good leadership, and therefore deserve another try for the next five years to see what they can deliver the APC party and by extension the country.

Ephemeral accounts on their specific individual records in the APC, Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara regardless of the politically motivated and delayed Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) court matter that keep militating against his political bid, he is always touring APC party support bases with campaign messages of hope to the electorate and Sierra Leone as a whole ahead of the elections. Dr Kamara has on several occasions been restricted by the Sierra Leone Police from going to certain places in the country, but he hardly succumbs to fears and intimidations. He always dispels lies and cautiously pushes his way through with his party’s political ideologies across the country. Recent cases in points are the restrictions that were imposed on him by the Kambia Police Division and later the Tonkololi Police Division which was deliberately aimed at preventing him from participating in the Samai Bendugu by-elections campaigns.

For his would-be running mate, if given the mandates by delegates, Hon Chrenor Ramadan Maju Bah is always battling with the dictatorial bullies of the ruling SLPP in the House of Parliament, especially when the government push to impose illegalities on the people of Sierra Leone. Hon Bah always fight hard to reverse the bad laws being imposed on the people by the powers that be, but government always force its ways against the wishes of the people. His trustworthy leadership in the House has challenged several illegalities that are being pushed against the wishes of the people. But his calls on authorities to play by the rules and to do things through compliance with due processes always fall on deaf ears as if the opposition does not form part of government.

Nevertheless SLPP’s frequent political bullies and intimidations, Hon Bah has come a long way in defending the interests of the APC party with making formidable representation of Sierra Leoneans and APC.

These are the sets of leaders the APC party should consider for strategic leadership to unseat the SLPP come June 24th. So the party should be guided and encouraged not ignore Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and Hon Chrenor Ramadan Maju Bah for formidable positions in the APC party. They are the most popular and competent APC political icons with large following, support and have played significant leadership roles coming that far.

The APC party should make no mistake about democratically entrusting Kamara and Bah with leader responsibilities at the 2023 NDC. They are the only people who are running round the country in the fullest representation, wooing support for the APC party. The moment they are overlooked, then the party must be bracing up to continue in opposition for the next five years. So APC members and supporters must take these two people to their hearts and minds and elect them as their next leaders. They are the only people capable enough to protect and preserve the legacies of former APC Leader and Chairman, former President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma.

Going forward Serra Leoneans deserve a developmental oriented leader to continue to with the transformative trajectory left by former president Koroma. There is no need to tolerate detractors to divert party delegates’ attentions form voting Dr Kamara and Hon Bah. Any attempt at derailing that will be counterproductive.

Sierra Leonean electorate have examined them, vying to take the APC to Fort Thornton in June. Besides Hon Bah Dr Kamara are everywhere around the country and beyond giving hopes to APC party members and supporters across the globe.

Therefore, as an alternative government in waiting, and the party should not downplay their weights for the approaching convention and the June 24th elections. They have marketed the APC to Sierra Leoneans and have never subjected the party to the destructive smearing campaigns of the SLPP led government. They have gone across the board educating the populace about the good works and the legacies of the APC party and have at separate occasions and places, vowed that if entrusted with the mandate to serve as standard bearer(s) of the APC party they will do more for the improvement of the general wellbeing of Sierra Leoneans.

It beholds delegates at the proposed NDC to vote by merits, competence, qualifications, popularity and not on sentiments to elect the right man to redeem the nation from the current Bio-led SLPP misrule. So doing delegates are humbly entreated to consider voting Kamara and Bah as the new leaders of the APC party.