The APC Trap: Power Without Unity

Photo: Former President Ernest Bai Koroma and Dr Samura Kamara

By Alpha Amadu Jalloh, Author of “Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance”, and Recipient of the Africa Renaissance Leadership Award

 

As Sierra Leone moves closer to the pivotal 2028 elections, all eyes turn to the main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC). After their controversial loss in 2023, one they continue to dispute, the APC was expected to emerge from the ashes with unity, vision, and strength. But instead, what we are witnessing is internal chaos, egotistical ambition, external manipulation, and a dangerous erosion of integrity within the party. Unless these issues are addressed urgently, the APC risks condemning itself to another crushing defeat and potentially squandering its last opportunity to restore itself as the party of the people.

 

At the center of this storm is Dr. Samura Kamara. He has become both a symbol of APC resilience and the victim of its internal betrayals. Dr. Kamara was not just a presidential candidate. He was the face of a movement that believed it could correct the governance failures of the Sierra Leone People’s Party. Yet, after enduring legal battles many believe were orchestrated for political persecution, he now finds himself alienated not just by the ruling SLPP but by his very own party leadership.

 

One of the most damning developments within the APC has been the widening gulf between Dr. Samura Kamara and former President Ernest Bai Koroma. This is the man whose blessing once anointed him as a successor. That relationship has now frayed. Koroma is allegedly backing new contenders and withholding the kind of structural and financial support that Dr. Kamara desperately needs in a deeply monetized political environment. Key figures within the party are aligning themselves not with ideology or strategy but with whoever can feed their interests.

 

The leadership of the APC, instead of rallying around a common cause, has become a marketplace of ambition. Loyalty is traded for influence and personal advancement. Party veterans who should act as custodians of institutional integrity have become brokers in a flag bearer bidding war. In this vacuum of principle, it is the party. And by extension the country. That suffers.

 

Nowhere is the APC’s crisis more evident than in the proliferation of presidential aspirants. From Mohamed Kamara, also known as Jagaban, whose financial firepower is reshaping loyalties, to Dr. Ibrahim Bangura, who leans heavily on his professional record and emerging youth appeal, the APC is turning into a theatre of unchecked ego and blind ambition.

 

Jagaban is reportedly pouring millions into grassroots mobilization. His wealth has turned heads and his public engagements have created a new wave of youthful enthusiasm. But money cannot buy legacy or wisdom. Dr. Ibrahim Bangura is young, articulate and ambitious. But his connection to the party’s grassroots remains tenuous at best. He seeks to inherit the throne through credentials and exposure. But many feel he is skipping the rite of passage that long-serving party stalwarts had to endure.

 

In a move that stunned both APC members and the broader political class, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, a legendary APC elder, journalist and statesman publicly endorsed Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, the sitting Vice President and senior SLPP official. He also extended a symbolic nod to Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah (Chericoco), the former APC running mate to Dr. Kamara in 2018. Both men are Fulas, and the ethnic dimension of these endorsements cannot be ignored.

 

In a country where tribal affiliations subtly influence political dynamics, the dual endorsement of a Fulani man in the SLPP and another in the APC sends powerful signals. Some view it as a calculated strategy to protect Fulani interests. Others see it as a critique of the APC’s leadership crisis. Either way, the shockwave is real and speaks volumes about the discontent within the party’s traditional base.

 

The list of APC flagbearer hopefuls is expanding rapidly. Aside from Dr. Samura Kamara, Jagaban, Dr. Bangura and Chericoco, Mayor Akie Sawyer and others in contention include Alimamy Petito Koroma, Dr. Richard Konteh, Minkailu Mansaray, Ady Macauley, and Hon. Sylvia Blyden. Some have declared. Others are quietly preparing.

 

A new potential entrant is Abdulai Bayraytay, the former Presidential Spokesman under Ernest Bai Koroma. Though he has not formally declared, insiders say he is consulting and quietly building support. Bayraytay is no political novice. From student union activism to civil society, journalism, and public service, he has built a wide base of influence. His oratory is compelling. His connection with the youth, Fourth Estate and grassroots movements gives him a fresh yet formidable image.

 

In a race saturated with recycled slogans and power blocs, Bayraytay’s entrance could shake the foundation of the APC’s political arithmetic.

 

To cast aside Dr. Samura Kamara now would not only be unjust. It would be strategic suicide for the APC. Despite political persecution and a dragged-out court case over the New York chancery building, he remains the party’s most recognizable and resilient figure. He commands loyalty in the North and Northwest. Abandoning him would signal that loyalty, sacrifice and perseverance are meaningless in today’s APC.

 

Dr. Kamara’s relationship with President Julius Maada Bio also adds complexity. Reports suggest Bio has sought to influence him through religious intermediaries. If true, it is a dangerous overreach. But even if such influence exists, it is not enough to disqualify him. It calls for stronger internal unity and better counsel around him.

 

The APC must confront the growing dishonesty within. Deals are struck in darkness. Endorsements are traded like currency. Loyalty is auctioned to the highest bidder. If this continues, the APC risks resembling the very governance failures it claims to oppose.

 

Money now speaks louder than legacy. But money alone will not deliver victory in 2028. The party needs a candidate who embodies national appeal, grassroots presence and integrity. One who can stand against electoral manipulation and win the respect of domestic voters and international observers.

 

At its current pace, the APC is not ready to win. The base is fractured. Messaging is scattered. Hope is fading. Instead of building an opposition powerhouse, the party is imploding under personal ambition and mistrust. Meanwhile, the SLPP is quietly consolidating power.

 

The APC cannot walk into 2028 with the same internal sabotage that doomed it in 2023. It needs transparency, discipline, and sacrifice. The flagbearer must be chosen through an open, fair and principled process. Not behind closed doors or in the shadows of brown envelopes.

 

If Dr. Samura Kamara is to be replaced, it must be by someone who has walked the walk. Not just someone who talks the talk or buys popularity. Whoever emerges must have a clear record of loyalty to the party, public service and resistance to SLPP intimidation.

 

The APC stands at a dangerous crossroads. Ignoring its loyal members while rewarding opportunists will only lead to political irrelevance. If 2028 is to be a comeback year, the APC must clean house. It must unite under credible leadership. Otherwise, it will gift Bio or his successor another term while the people of Sierra Leone continue to suffer.

 

The APC cannot afford another failure. The time to act is now.