By Kabs Kanu, Senior Adviser , APC New Jersey
As a Senior Adviser of the All People’s Congress ( APC), I want to take this opportunity to denounce and refute statements attributed to the Foreign Minister, Dr. David Francis , in his meeting with the international community , that yesterday’s demonstration was organized by the APC.
David Francis, since he came to limelight as servant of this ruling SLPP government , has proved to be a Doctor and Professor of Lies, Deceit and Corruption. It should therefore surprise no one that instead of telling the international community what they know already ( that it was the people that rose up against the SLPP ) the disgraced and dishonorable professor would choose to tell the knowledgeable international community such a whooping lie. In so doing, Dr. Francis made a mockery of himself because foreign diplomats on the ground know the causes of the demonstration and must have already briefed their capitals.
Yesterday’s demonstration , as everybody knows from audio statements , was organized by a young social media political commentator and activist living in Holland, who has won the acclaim of millions of supporters all over the country and the world and is famously known as KING ADEBAYOR. He and members of his organization called the People’s Power in Politics ( PPP) organized the demonstration.
Adebayor has repeatedly announced that he has never been a member of the APC . As a matter of fact, it is on record that the former Secretary General of the APC Ambassador Osman Yansaneh clarified the issue before Justice Adrian Fisher that Adebayor is neither APC nor does the party support his political activism on social media. APC people love Adebayor, of course , because he has proved to be a spokesman for everybody suffering under the disastrous presidency of Mr. Maada BIO. Sierra Leoneans love and obey Adebayor because he advocates for the things that affect their lives. However, APC had no hand in the planning of the demonstration.
The SLPP are failing to acknowledge that the social media is a magnificent tool for the mobilization of mass public action against corrupt, dictatorial , oppressive and human rights – abusing government like the SLPP. We all learnt this many years ago from the Arab Spring movement that toppled many governments in the Arab world.
How could APC have staged a demonstration when the party is presently crippled by a court action that we believe is being covertly orchestrated behind the scenes by President Maada Bio? We do not have a recognized leader presently and the court- appointed man at the helm is not universally accepted by the rank and file of the party and lacks the commitment and ability to stir up any public passion against the SLPP government.
Former President Dr. Ernest Koroma, who was the Chairman of the APC, has already denounced the demonstration and violence. Some other party functionaries have done the same.
The professor even lied to the international community that the demonstration took place in only APC strongholds . This is a blatant lie that typifies the so- called professor as a serial deceiver.
APC is a peaceful and democratic political party and does not believe in violence to achieve its goals. We depend on the ballot box. We are certain that , given an equitable playing ground and free and fair elections next year, we will defeat the SLPP clearly as we did in 1967 and 2007. We operate through democratic principles , not violence.
Instead of falsely blaming the APC, the SLPP should do a honest soul searching to see how badly they have failed the people of Sierra Leone and accept that it was people’s anger at the government’s inability to rule and put food on the plates of the people that caused yesterday’s demonstration, which was spearheaded by a very eloquent and convincing political organizer in Holland and his PPP group.
SLPP should do the needful– dialogue with the people and seek ways to calm down their anger by alleviating the unbearable suffering and hardship in the country. This is the only remedy to this volatile situation than scapegoating an innocent party like the APC.
