Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma breaks silence
Breaking a long period of silence, Chairman and Leader of the main opposition All Peoples Congress party (APC), former President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has said that the problem in the party was caused by the contest for flag bearer.
“There is no problem in the APC; what is in the APC is contest for flag bearer”, he said.
The former President reiterated that the tension among the different camps supporting potential candidates intending to become the standard bearer of the party in the upcoming presidential and general elections in 2023 was undermining the unity of the party.
“The issue of flag bearer is eating up the party”, said the ex-President.
He called on all groups including the National Reformation Movement (NRM), and all potential flag bearers to unite and speak with one voice, and urged them to withdraw all cases from court.
“We have to make sure we come together as a party”, he said, noting that “time is not on our side”.
Touching on the leadership issue, the former President acknowledged that the party needed a new leadership, and called on the membership to go and adopt the constitution and hold conventions for the ultimate election of the leadership. “Let us have a new leadership”, he said, adding that the constitution should be adopted to proceed with the process of electing the leadership.
“Let us go and adopt the constitution and decide who should lead us to conventions to elect the leadership”, he said, adding that the people should be allowed to choose their leader.
“This time around, it is not going to be a friend or relative of Ernest Bai Koroma or a NAC-favoured member; it is going to be on your own account”, he assured.
He admonished intending flag bearers to not say thing in public that would hunt them or used by an opposing party against them.
He assured that he would step out no sooner the constitution was adopted and that he would not step out based on a court decision.
“No one should think that I would step out because of a court decision. I was not made Chairman and Leader by the Court”, he said.
He furthered that the people were yearning for a return to past and their time should not be wasted.
“Our people out there are crying; they have seen that yesterday was better than today, and they want to return to yesterday”, he concluded.
The former President made the statements while addressing party members and sympathizers last weekend in Magburaka,Tonkolili district, to mark the anniversary of the death of former Minister of Education in the APC administration, late Dr Minkailu Bah.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of the Party was being held in Makeni to explore the need to remove all cases from court.
By Abdul Kuyateh
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