Whatever the concerns about APC unity, the decision taken by the APC that has paid positive dividends for youth empowerment within the party is the opportunity given to Chernor Maju Bah (Chericoco) to rapidly grow within Sierra Leone’s largest political party,’’Hon. IB Kargbo said in Freetown yesterday.In his efforts to educate members of the public about politicians who possess the quality to rule their political parties, Hon. IB Kargbo further stated that Chernor Maju Bah has had the opportunity to benefit from life-saving and political mentorship over the years; and such apprenticeship has made him a formidable politician, a politician with a national character.
A Sierra Leonean citizen with origins in Freetown- Western Area, and also within the Bombali District, especially Mapaki Chiefdom, since childhood, Chernor Maju Bah is a Sierra Leonean through and through.
“As one of his mentors, I can vouch to the fact that Chernoh, who addresses me as Uncle, grew up as a humble but determined young man who always intended to achieve results even during the most difficult of times. He took education, even as a young person, seriously. And even in school, his classmates, his university peers always saw him as a leader who always came home with positive results. You can never be disappointed when you give Chernor a task,” said Hon. IB Kargbo.
At St. Edward’s Secondary School, Chernor was a friend to everybody.
In his community at Brookfields, everybody wanted to befriend Chernor Maju Bah as he grew up as ‘a man of the people.’
After his education at Fourah Bay College where he graduated with a Law degree, and after he later acquired the Bar at the Law School, Chernor suddenly became a well-known lawyer, who within a very short time, was able to stand out as a highly respected gentleman.
“I proudly saw him grew up into a highly respected citizen, mingling with equally highly respected senior citizens,” he said.
When he decided to ‘jump’ into politics, he did so with a sense of determination, with the full understanding that ‘Sierra Leone comes first.’
Unlike other politicians who thrive on preaching tribalism and regionalism, Chernor Maju Bah has always seen himself as the ‘non-partisan Sierra Leonean.’
He is a politician who believes in his capabilities even when he decided to take part in politics. He always contested close elections without being favoured by any ‘big man’ at the top, because he believed in democratic practice. For three consecutive terms, Chernor Maju Bah contested elections mostly in the Western Area and made a name for himself in Brookfields.
Chernor Maju Bah’s political activities in Freetown made him the popular politician across the aisle in Parliament as both members of his own party- the APC, and other MPs from other parties, including the SLPP, held him in high esteem at all times as he was seen as the darling of everybody in the House.
Was it therefore strange that as a young man he could so quickly attain the envious position of Deputy Speaker of Parliament, a position which he handled with great dignity until he stepped down to be nominated as Presidential running mate in 2018. But he did not give up his parliamentary seat, which explains why even though his party did not clinch the Presidency, he returned to Parliament.
Once he returned to Parliament, his party appointed him the Leader of the APC in Parliament, which catapulted him to the important position of Minority Leader; and he had to spar with a very angry SLPP leadership in Parliament, sometimes
Under difficult circumstances, including the use of the police and the judiciary to reduce the potency of the APC parliamentarians.
Chernor Maju Bah mobilized the APC Members of Parliament in opposition to provide a very potent opposition with him as their reliable and respected leader.
His public stature and the respect he had garnered within the powerful APC both at the level of the grassroots of the party and the top-most cadre of the APC leadership led to his nomination as flagbearer of the APC for the second time in 2023.
This time round as he vies for the leadership of his party and Presidency of Sierra Leone, Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah’s great strength lies in the following: Firstly, he is highly respected among the rank and file of the APC party. Secondly, he is highly respected within the leadership of the party. But more importantly, his experience in Parliament as Deputy Speaker as Member of Parliament when the APC was in power, and as Minority Leader when the APC is in opposition, combine to make him the most politically knowledgeable contender for the leadership of the APC.
In modern-day politics, it is believed that a President takes along his wife when he is moving to State House; therefore, his spouse, Hawa Bah, is also an important partner in the political game.
Chernor Maju Bah has been blessed with a dedicated housewife, a humble lady who has always stood by her husband in his journey to the top of politics. If Chernor Bah succeeds in his political journey and gets to the leadership of the party, and becomes the President of Sierra Leone, Hawa Bah becomes a formidable political asset.
