The general and parliamentary elections slated for next year in Sierra Leone is gearing up, so are the number of candidates aspiring for the top office in the County. As Joseph Margai reports, Nineteen (19) candidates from both the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) party and the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), and four from small political parties, have declared their intention of succeeding the current President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma in the March7, 2018 multitier elections.
Early this year, President Koroma of the governing APC party, announced the date for the conduct of the presidential, parliamentary and local councils (multitier) elections, which is set for March 7, 2018.
Since his announcement, many politicians have declared their intentions of succeeding him. There had also been mass resignation of government officials who were receiving monies (salaries) from the government consolidated revenue fund. The Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution states that anyone who wants to aspire for any elective positions in an election and is holding public office that gets salary from the government consolidated revenue fund, should resign one (1) year towards the election.
Notable among those that resigned in February this year include the former Bank of Sierra Leone Governor-Dr. Kaifala Marah, former Special Adviser to President Koroma and Ambassador-at-Large-Dr. Alpha Khan, former High Commissioner to Sierra Leone Embassy to the People’s Republic of China-Alimamy Philip Koroma and former Under-Secretary to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence-Zainab Hawa Bangura. All of these are aspiring candidates under the ruling APC party ticket.
Others under the same APC party ticket include former Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security-Dr. Sam Sesay, former Member of Parliament for Constituency 38-Hon. Reverend Marie Yansaneh, current Vice President of Sierra Leone-Dr. Victor Bockarie Foh, current Attorney-General and Minister of Justice-Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara (JFK), former Minister of Trade and Industry-Alhaji Osman Boie Kamara, former Major Leader in the House of Parliament-Hon. Ibrahim Rashid Bundu.
On the other hand, nine candidates from the country’s main opposition party-SLPP have declared their intention to succeed President Koroma after the March 7, presidential elections.
They include Dr. Sahr Tengbeh, former Director-General of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority-Munda Rogers, Ernest Ndomahina, former Leader and Chairman of the SLPP-John Oponjo Benjamin (JOB), Ambassador Umaru Bond Wurrie, Dr. Alie Kabba, Dr. Andrew Keili, former Head of State during the military regime in Sierra Leone under the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, Lawyer Alpha Timbo.
Another strong contender to these two main political parties is the Leader and Chairman of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP)-Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray. He was a member of the ruling All People’s Congress but when he was refused to vie for presidential slot, he formed his own political party.
The Leader and Chairman of the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC)-Lawyer Charles Francis Margai is also eyeing to succeed President Koroma. Actually, it is widely believed in Sierra Leone that Charles Francis Margai was the individual that helped the ruling APC to come to power in the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections after leaving the then incumbent party-SLPP to form the PMDC and later switched allegiance with the APC. But the relationship between President Koroma and Charles Francis Margai for the past five years now, have become a “cat and dog” thing.
So he has joined forces with the former elected Vice President of Sierra Leone-Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana, who was, according to political analysts and civil rights activists, unconstitutionally removed from his position by President Koroma after serving in that capacity for over seven year.
Margai and Sumana have teamed up with another politician who recently suspended his bid for the flag-bearer position of the SLPP-Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (popularly called KKY).
KKY was the former Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). He recently said that he was planning to form or join a Grand Coalition of Progressives (GCOP) in order unseat the ruling APC in the March 7, 2018. The GCOP members include Lawyer Charles Francis Margai, the sacked Vice President-Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana and Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella.
