All hell seems to be breaking loose in the rank and file of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party, as the big guns in the ITGC have started drawing daggers at each other over how the Committee has been running affairs of the party moving towards the realization of their terms of reference.
Petty squabbles, internal wrangling, and bitter rancour within the Interim Transitional Governance Committee (ITGC) seem to be going out of proportion as issues of allegiance to individuals, membership registration, preparation of meeting agenda, disunity and unilateral decision, among others, continue to erode the thick skin and bond of unity expected in the party or at least among committee members.
Latest outbursts by key members of the interim or caretaker body such as the Chairman Alfred Peter Conteh and the Secretary Hon Abdul Kargbo of the ITGC seemed to be putting spanner in its works as accusations and counter accusations continue to be traded among and between members of the committee who are expected to work in unison and prepare the party for the upcoming 2023 multi-tier elections.
A House in Scheme
Comments by the committee’s Chairman Alfred Peter Conteh and the Secretary, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, on the Morning Coffee radio talk show programme Morning Coffee of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) respectively on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 July speak volumes and made it glaringly clear that the APC or, better put, the ITGC is a house in scheme that is divided against itself.
As a direct rebuttal to scathing comments about the status of the party and the work of ITGC made by the committee’s Chairman Alfred Peter Conteh two days ago on Monday 25 July, the committee’s secretary Hon. Abdul Kargbo spilled the beans of the internal wrangling and status quo within the committee/party being allegedly masterminded by the Chairman himself Peter Conteh.
Hon. Kargbo vehemently rebutted Alfred Peter Conteh’s statements, alluding that Alfred Peter Conteh is trying to run the affairs of the ITGC undemocratically as he would always try to defy majority consensus of decision-making in their work by insisting on summoning meetings at times and occasions unfavourable to the majority of the committee members.
He said: “The chairman of the 21-man committee has even called a meeting at a day parliamentary members of the APC who are also members of the 21-man had a very important sitting in parliament.
“He (Peter Conteh) insisted on holding a meeting at a time that is against the time parliamentary members of the 21-man committee would be having a serious parliamentary sitting. He did that so that he could deprive those members of the 21-man committee from partaking at a crucial decision-making meeting.
“Twelve members of the committee told the chairman that it is not expedient to call a meeting at the time when members of the committee were voting at parliament. But he refused.”
“This is all distraction,” he said: “I say so because all the time it is like that: at a time when we are preparing for the voter registration that is when these distractions are coming; when we are sensitizing our people to ensure they go and register, that is when these distractions are coming.”
He further debunked Chairman Alfred Peter Conteh, saying: “He (Peter Conteh) also talks about the party, saying there is no money, that he did not meet money. To me it is not good to expose your party. Developing and raising money for the party is our collective responsibility. We the senior members of the party are the ones who should ensure that the party raises money. Members of Parliament are some of the greatest contributors to the coffers of the party. Each month, Members of Parliament are sending Le58 million to the party’s account; even councillors are doing very well, as well as the Mayors and chairpersons, who are also doing very well to make sure that the party has money. Now you ask yourself the question: what is our chairman contributing to develop the party’s coffers? I would tell you some few things about happenings within the party. Those of us in the 21-man committee, having realized that there is nothing in the coffers of the party, all of us decided not to take anything like salary from the coffers of the party. But the chairman insisted that all his members must be paid every week and indeed all his members are being paid Le2.8 million on weekly basis.”
Hon. Kargbo however said that no one could derail the progress of the APC, adding: “I want to assure comrades of the APC that no one will be able to derail the progress of the party.”
However, it must be noted that the APC is in deep crisis as it is presently a house in scheme divided against itself, with several groups and individuals undermining the progress of the party as the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections draw closer to 24 June 2023.
Whilst the APC are still dragging feet quarrelling, other political parties are organizing and moving on.
Differences in political and national affairs will always exist, but differences must be solved peacefully. The APC must take in its hands its own destiny. Party members or ITGC members must think of new and innovative way to strengthen the APC.
Therefore, since the party has been given the green light to forge ahead, it is essential that all leaders and members of the ITGC and the party shelve their differences and genuinely work towards giving the people of Sierra Leone an alternative governance blueprint that would redeem the nation from the abyss of political and economic downturn the nation is in.
