By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
The main opposition party All People’s Congress (APC) has on Thursday 16 February 2023, apparently declared the former Vice President who was unconstitutionally sacked Alhaji Chief Samuel Sam Sumana unfit to run in the 2023 election party flag bearer race.
As the party set to stage its National Delegate Conference in Makeni, a total of 18 candidates have shown interest to contest for the flag bearership, ruling out Sam Sumana and reducing the number to 17.
Hon. Abdul Kargbo, Secretary General of the Interim Transition Governance Committee (ITGC) of the All-People’s Congress Party, disclosed that in screening the aspirants for the 2023 election flag bearer ship, they did an extensive vetting using article 56 of the 2022 APC constitution, which detailed the qualifications for the flag bearer position.
According to the Secretary General of the ITGC of the APC party, the situation of Sam Sumana contravened subsection 2 of article 56 of the 2022 APC constitution which categorically stated that for a member to be qualified for the position of flag bearer, that person must be a continuous and an uninterrupted member of the party for not less than five years.
Hon. Kargbo explained that Sam Sumana resigned from another political party known as C4C in 2020, and calculated that his new registration to the APC party has not yet amounted to five years.
Hoping to publish the list containing the qualified names of people for the flag bearer position on that day, Hon. Kargbo first disclosed the names virtually. The 17 names on the list included Abu Bakarr Kalokoh, Alfred Paolo Conteh, Ansumana Osman Koroma from UK, Kelfala Marrah, Dr. Paul Alimamy Bangura, Dr. Richard Conteh, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, Hon. Dr. Amb. Alimamy Conteh (Petitio), Omrey Michael Golley, Susan Bona, Aljahi Osman T. Bangura amongst others.
He further stated that five people qualified for the position of party chairman. The ITGC Secretary General assured that the party had been preparing very well for the election of its flag bearer for the 2023 election. He said the secretariat had set up various committees to ensure a transparent, free and fair election process.