Chief Samuel Sam Sumana
By Farook Abdul Karim Sesay: writer; politician; legal advisor
A leader is a dealer in hope. The meteoric rise of Chief Samuel Sam Sumana – the public face and leader of the Coalition For Change (C4C) party, and the reflexive resilience of his (public) Kono support has produced a singularly third force monument. Not surprisingly so, in the emblematic embodiment of chief Samuel Sam Sumana, erstwhile vice president (of Sierra Leone) for almost eight years – who ran on the same ticket with erstwhile President Ernest Bai Koroma, who still astutely and strategically, holds the reins of power as chairman and leader of the main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC). Yet, the C4C leader is now at a crossroad! Chief Samuel Sam Sumana is now the vaunted charismatic leader of the Coalition for Change (C4C) party – the party that seemingly holds the balance of power in parliament and in the nation’s political landscape! However, no one politically pragmatic and savant should or could envy the leader of C4C, Mr Sumana’s predisposed position. Or predicament! They sagely say: uneasy lies the head that wears the crown!
The C4C leader will soon be feted – and even lionized. Ironically, the APC party will soon be jockeying for either his blessings – or less presumptively, his head! To tote the (APC) party’s heavy, bejewelled crown (in 2023) – even if the stones on the crown are just jaded. The C4C leader will seriously be the “chief” between 2020 -2023. The august APC party National Convention on his turf – (and political heartland, Kono), will definitely and unwittingly play to his advantage and pander to his political whims and caprices – despite what pundits and (APC) political strategists, who borne this plan have up their “Houdini” sleeves! Taking the fight to the enemy might not be a good idea, after all. Chief Samuel Sam Sumana, will indeed be the emperor during the APC National Convention in Kono – and the subsequent years rolling up to the General elections in 2023. But will he be like the fabled “emperor without his clothes”?
Let me reiterate, for good measure – the Leader of the third largest party in Parliament is at a crossroad! Probably at the cusp of soaring heights for him or the melting of his politically waxed wings – like the fabled Icarus, who defied his father, and flew too close to the sun! Pun not intended. Aha! I was once wrote an article on Chief Samuel Sam Sumana: The vice Presidency – Millstone or Milestone? Lessons Chief Sam Sumana should be au fait with. You can Google that one. Mr. Sumana is no longer the Vice President. Maybe, that curse has been crushed. Maybe, that dogged shadow is still a blight that cannot be so easily expunged! Maybe, it can! Or can it? The answer lies with not only the C4C leader’s inner circle – but with the broad swathe of the Kono heartland. A general without his army is vulnerable and not invincible. Conversely, an army without its respected and fearless general, who is inspiring – is grossly susceptible to a thumping defeat. Each complements the other. Napoleon once famously quipped: “give me generals that are brave! But first and foremost, give me generals that are lucky!” The Coalition for Change leader should pray more for luck than brave strategising and staunch political goodwill. The APC party supposedly needs him – politically pines for him even – (if one goes by what the rumour mills are churning out within certain APC voters!) But so do the Kono people/voters! And so does his amazingly catapulted C4C party (as the third dominant stakeholder in Parliament)!
Kono now has a majestically swaying political power it never had before – or never relished! A swaying power pull that could only be relatively compared to the 1967 narrative, when this ‘Jewel of the East’ – held the political balance in her hands and decided to pitch camp with Prime Minister Siaka Stevens (APC). Not Albert Margai (Sierra Leone People’s Party). Mark Twain, an American author succinctly opined: History does not repeat itself. It only chimes! Kono district would be so predictably, unprecedentedly powerful and strategically placed in the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Its hegemony and political power base was only scintillatingly appreciated in 2018. Any of the two main political protagonist parties that gainsay this irrefutable fact, is catastrophically romancing a drubbing defeat in 2023.
However, the C4C leader, Mr Sam Sumana, should not feel cockily self-entitled. He is not as brilliantly mesmerising and wily a politician – as people may want (us) to believe! Shifting of the Teutonic plates in his political landscape was due to a litany of reasons. He was only the totem symbolising the collective stance against what the Kono people discerned or perceived as a ‘condescending and disdaining spurning of the cur’ – when the APC party machinery disingenuously, and with defiant disdain, trampled upon the Kono people’s/Voters’ dignity and trust. The Konos’ implacable defiance and sweltering anger, got the accidental hero – Chief Samuel Sam Sumana, the serendipitous accolades and home churned sympathies and empathies, he uncharacteristically – that some will grudgingly admit to – garnered! And, inevitably, what the APC party, got coming! Even if Emerson Tamba Lamina (leader of C4C in parliament) – had donned the mantle of C4C – he would have still garnered the raging storms and success Chief Sam Sumana had. Just like what Charles Margai’s People’s Democratic Movement For Change (PMDC) did in 2012 in Bonthe. More like a political fluke. That never repeated in 2018 when the Bonthe voters’ anger dissipated – and went back to base! Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (Grand Coalition For Change (NGC) could not, unfortunately, replicate that feat on a grand scale because he was a victim of circumstance: his territory was not as constituency decked as Sam Sumana’s! And, like APC’s presidential ticket holder, Samura Kamara, Samuel Sam Sumana, had a colossal, monolithic institution behind him. So winning as best loser (parliamentary wise only – not to scathingly remind him that NGC’s leader was more relevant as a presidential contender and came a resounding third place winner) – among a plethora of other less vibrant political actors, was not due to his prowess, élan and dash, or charisma. The C4C party needed a face; he aptly supplied it. Accompanied by large dollops of sympathy and empathy for him. Any face could have done the trick. Supposedly, more so, by Ex-mayor Emerson T. Lamina, (who is now parliamentary leader for C4C). Kono had taken umbrage to the then (APC) incumbent party’s abusive trust of power. Kono wanted to demonstrate their relevance and worth. Their collective stoic resolve and pride got them handsomely what they wanted: punishing a bloated, bullish, buccaneering mammoth – that thought it could have its cake and eat it.
Now the C4C leader, Mr Sumana, is at a crossroad. He is walking a tight rope. He would need the finest balancing act of his political career to be respected and touted as the political trapeze artist of the century. The word on the street is that the C4C leader wants to be a prodigal son. Will certain circles and cliques within the APC Party appreciate and welcome back Chief Sam Sumana as the vaunted heir apparent in 2023? How many still see him as the Judas who helped pulverized the APC party’s dream to realise a third term tenure? How many are willingly ready to let bygones be bygones; embrace expediency, and pragmatism – and sleep with the enemy – though it is axiomatic that politics make strange bedfellows. However, will hardcore ‘Koromaists’, and other prospective hopefuls, sincerely and readily swallow their bile of antagonism and chicaneering, and realise the only way out to their holy grail in 2023 is Kono district and her now newfound, feted leader, Chief Sam Sumana? Will foolish pride and APC’s legendary ’99 pattern’ safari suit rear their ugly heads and connive with the wobbling, illogical logic that APC does not really need Kono – or its emblematic personification, the C4C leader, Mr. Sumana, to give the incumbent party, a good run for their political money in 2023?
The SLPP administration might not be faring well now in the bars of public opinion (well pretty much so in the APC strongholds) – but who can conjecture what the governing party has up its own sleeves? A week is a very long time in politics! So are the next three years! A malleable, mercurial, fickle-minded electorate might be very compromising and forgiving in the years to come. And, may give President Maada Bio another shot. Whims and caprices play a crucial part in influencing and shaping electoral outcomes in Sierra Leone’s politics. The ‘One Term President’ (OTP) moniker for the incumbent president might farcically blow up the faces of those who coined the phrase. Who knows? Just like those who ingeniously carved up: “After U Na U” third term presidency for Ernest Bai Koroma did – in the wake of mostly silent, recalcitrant, rebellious plotters, who defied the phrase and its eerie reality.
Yep, before I stop pontificating, let me say this lest I forgot. Kono district has tasted political power! The district has tasted blood – and is now braying for fresh flesh. Who will boldly dangle that succulent piece of political stake in the district’s face? And ready to let go without the risk of having their fingers snapped at and even crushed? Kono might not be C4C’s turf or play ground for long! Chief Sam Sumana and his party might have leased it – but it is only a leasehold! Not a freehold title deed. The SLPP, too, seemingly, has a considerable stake there too, remember! And the governing party is surreptitiously bidding its time like what economic giant, dragon China, did in Africa. It pounced when the timing was right! Strategy and luck connived to help China’s aggressive economic push. The same drivers can conspire in Kono to favour the Maada Bio incumbency. The SLPP machinery has the resource; the grim will, and the ability to make the Kono voters an enticing offer it cannot refuse! The SLPP has the leverage to smartly create the enabling environment – to make the C4C house of cards come crumbling down. Then the incumbent administration will eventually hold all the four aces.
If the C4C leader is utterly serious about being the next (potentially prospective) APC presidential candidate, amid all the open brouhaha and subtly conspiratorial knowing winks and overtures on his part – now is the time to slap his cards on the table before it is too late. Skirting and circumventing around the strong and bold assertiveness to come forward and be a serious contender for the APC ticket, is like sitting on a powder keg. And letting an infantile mad man playing with a box of matches close by! Any sleigh of hand or limpid procrastinating will not do him any favours. Just being shilly- shally pally with a party that ousted him ignominiously – and in return, The C4C leader, in serendipity hindsight, being perceived, rightly or wrongly, as having helped destroyed their dream to a third term tenure, will remain just that – a de facto alliance – not a coalition partner! Alliances get crumbs; they do not eat off the pharaoh’s gilded table. African political coalitions/alliances are a misnomer; misguided platitudes that are stitched seamlessly by the whims of the majority party in power.
A caveat for the C4C leader: he should not think that he virtually holds unbridled political sway in his own backyard. He could be checkmated by the unassuming SLPP party. Because the realistic chance of having a vice presidential candidate stemming from Kono district, offered on a golden platter by President Maada Bio, for the 2023 presidential race – is more enticing to the Kono people than a seemingly romantic notion of wearing the Messi jersey for team APC in 2023. The chances of Maada Bio relinquishing power, just after one term, are a very farfetched stretch of the imagination! Emerson Tamba Lamina is one to watch! He is an unsung hero. For now. But we should all intelligibly be aware that he is leader of the (C4C) herd in parliament. He is popular; young; experienced as both a mayor and the leader (practically in parliament) of the third largest party. He can revolt. He can unhinge. He can cross sides. He has political ambitions. And, he could be offered the presidential running mate ticket (by the SLPP) – a party that is already ensconced in power for only its first term! And has all the trappings of power; the resources and leverage. Though the two mainstream parties are potentially being roiled by ‘’Sumanaism’’ generally – they are more fretful of ‘’konoism’’ particularly! This Kono mania is much more nuanced than Mr. Sumana’s gung-ho antics. However, reliable statistic and incontrovertible reports on Sam Sumana’s popularity are thin on the (Kono) ground. Kono does not really care much about Sam Sumana! All Kono really cares about is to be catapulted to the spotlight and be counted. And made existentially, politically relevant. If the APC party thinks it vitally needs Kono to actualize its dream to come back to power in 2023, It does not need to worry itself sick about the bandied ‘’five year membership ‘’ rule that is fluttering in the air like a broken winged butterfly – that fundamentalist apologists within the APC party are unapologetically clamouring for. If APC wants to pull the rug under Maada Bio’s clubby feet (in 2023), they need to throw, without undue hesitation, the leader of C4C, Mr Sumana, under the bus. All Kono wants is to be part of the national political conversation and narrative. Kono just wants to be a winner! With or without their controversially, indecisive leader! Kono is way bigger than Mr. Sumana. APC needs to change course and tactics – look for a bankable woman running mate! It will not only be a positive precedent (for the APC party that has chalked a name for itself as being patriarchal and sexist) that the international community will buy into – but it will be benchmark for future presidential races, too! Do these scenario outcomes ring any bells?
Uneasy lays the head that wears the crown, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana! I do not envy him. I am worried about his predicament. The road to his vaulting ambition is very precarious. If he really wants a fair shot at the presidency (under the auspices and behest of the APC) – he should not wait for the ball be passed on to him effortlessly. He should Grab it from his side of the pitch –and find an aggressive, assertive hand to play. The C4C leader should make a spectacular home run and do slams dunks himself. And, not let the phrase: “Na Sam we want for APC “ – ricocheted off him like the “after U Na U “ third term EBK mantra. A buzz catchphrase that yielded nothing – only sneers and chiding, snide remarks! Power is not easily given – it has to be wrested by force by whatever means necessary! Sometimes, I contemplate the C4C’s leader’s political fate as analogous to that of the male in the preying mantises’ mating game. The female mantis devours her partner after copulation! Will the C4C leader romance the APC – and later be gobbled up after he has performed the (political) mating game? In politics, like in religion, power lay in certainty – and that one man’s certainty – always threatened another’s! I hope he will not be used as a political cudgel. He should not accept a gifted (Trojan) horse – without first checking it out with the best X-ray equipment that political money can buy! Yet, again, like they say – never look a gifted horse in the mouth. That is why Mr Sumana’s situation is unenviable. He is blindly walking a tight rope. The leader of Coalition For Change, may perceive himself the future of hopeful, inspirational politics. He may have a grand ambition to restore hope; his administration to be a model for innovative leadership to improve governance; a passionate leader – yet he is set to face greater odds and setbacks. He may be driven by hope or pragmatism – and eager to defy the odds and fight the chance for political redemption. But his redemption lies not with taking sides – but with staying his course and continuing to hold the forte for democracy and the future and not taking sides to bloat any of the two main stream parties’ tyranny of numbers in parliament or at State House. He has already cut himself a niche. He needs to prove now his mettle; serve Kono – and, invariably, the nation. He should not join ranks with anyone. He arguably entered the fray as a fluke. Now he should see himself as a political nuke! The Leader of C4C should not advertently give his stamp of approval to an elective dictatorship in 2023 by cajoling the Kono voters to jump ship! The Kono people/voters are all on trial here: to salvage The C4C leader’s legacy – or to demonize it. Voters matter. For politicians are far more often mirrors of who the voters/people are – rather than molders! And, a bird in hand – is worth a thousand in the bush! Fawning tans and sycophantic circle of supporters and friends might be cheering him on now – but will they be there for him when the dam busts – and sluices of failure cascade on him? I wish Mr. Sumana, may not be the fabled Humpty Dumpty that fell – and all the king’s men and horses could not put together again. At best, may the C4C leader, have that tumultuous round of applauds when the curtain comes down after his trapeze act. These sublime, sombre Latin words should always ring shrilly in Mr Sumana’s political ears: Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut ministret. Not to be served – but to serve!
(Fa