AYV News, October 17, 2022
Sierra Leone’s main opposite political party, the All People’s Congress (APC), has said its 2023 Presidential Candidate, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara is no longer the leader of the Party.
The Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Sidi Yayah Tunis quoted Section 47 of the APC Constitution to support the Party’s position.
Sidi said six months after an elections results are announced by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, the offices of Presidential Candidate and deputy seize to exist, regardless them challenging of the results or not.
In this case, Tunis said the tenure of Dr. Samura Kamara and his deputy, seizes to exist since December 2023.
Hence, he said, is the reason Dr. Samura Kamara’s deputy leader handed over keys to his office last week to the leadership of the Party, marking the end of his tenure.
Sidi Yayah Tunis: “Let’s focus on our party’s reform so that we can get a formidable force for the next election. We’ve spent years talking about electoral justice in our party and nothing has come out of it to date. So let’s be focused. With the current circumstance, there is no room for any elections rerun. Let’s stop deceiving our people rather let’s get them to embrace the constitutional reform process and join us in reforming and building our party to take over State House in 2028”.
The Party’s National Publicity Secretary was responding to Tuesday’s social media allegations that there was a riot between the APC and the Sierra Leone Police at its Headquarters in Freetown.
On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, a group of individuals claiming to be supporters of the APC gathered around the Party’s Old Railway Line Headquarters in Freetown, chanting slogans and demanding electoral justice.
This demonstration is part of the ongoing tensions following the APC’s defeat in the June 2023 elections to the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
The demonstration coincided with a crucial meeting inside the APC headquarters between the party’s National Executive and representatives the International from Moral Guarantors, who are monitoring the implementation of the ‘Agreement of National Unity.’
The Agreement, signed between the APC and the government on October 18, 2023, aims to address political tensions and foster national reconciliation.
The APC Party’s leadership was quick to distance the Party from the rowdy protesters, firmly denying any involvement in the disturbances.
Tunis clarified that the APC’s meeting with international stakeholders was peaceful, and they had requested police presence solely for security reasons.
He said: “There are no skirmishes at our party office. We are having a meeting with a joint international mission, and we requested the police to maintain security. Those who are supposed to attend the meeting are allowed in, and those without any business here should not be permitted to cause chaos. It is quiet and peaceful here.”
In support of Tunis’ statement, a letter from APC National Secretary General Lansana Dumbuya, dated October 14, 2024, formally requested the Sierra Leone Police to maintain order during the party’s leadership meeting.
