SHOWDOWN! National Executive Vs. Samura Kamara…Handover Our Keys*Samura Kamara Says No

By Ayodele Deen- Cole
The Secretariat of the main opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC) has recently requested the 2023 Presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara to vacate the premises of the National Leader’s office at the party’s headquarters, Old Railway Line in  Freetown Within a week.
According to a letter signed by the National Secretary General of the party and addressed to Dr. Samura Kamara, it is unconstitutional for Dr. Samura Kamara to continue in that office six months after losing the 2023 elections.
He cited Section 47 (a) (IV) of the new APC Constitution to substantiate the party’s decision “Where the National Leader fails to be elected President of Sierra Leone, he shall relinquish the position of National Leader, six months after the declaration of results by the National Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, notwithstanding any petition filed in the Supreme Court or pursuant to any law; and such position shall remain vacant until further election for the party’s presidential candidate is conducted pursuant to this constitution.”
However, according to some members of the Dr. Samura Kamara campaign team, the 2023 Presidential candidate will not vacate the premises of the National Leader’s office and will continue to serve as their leader until a fresh national delegate convention is held.
Meanwhile, many people across the country are now expecting a major political showdown between the opposition APC national executive and that of the leader Dr. Samura Kamara, after the elapse of the one week ultimatum. It will also be a showdown between team Electoral Justice and Agenda 2028.
Speaking to this press at their Wellington street office, a senior anonymous member of the Dr. Samura Kamara campaign team, stated that their side will not comply with the instructions in the latest letter from the National Executive sent to Dr. Samura Kamara, adding that they have no legal authority to issue out such instructions to the party leader as all of them were equally elected at a national delegates’ convention of the party.
Another credible source within the Dr. Samura Kamara campaign team, also told this press that, the current national executive of the party is not thoughtful about the important position of Dr. Samura Kamara as their leader, adding that they will not follow the directives from the national executive. He argued that it will be very difficult for the national executive to remove the party leader from power without going to a national delegates’ convention, adding that any use of force to remove the leader from office will led to several negative back clash including legal action which is not good for the APC at this present moment.
He noted that the APC National executive failed to observe some constitutional redundancy in Article 47(a) (IV) of the APC Constitution 2022, adding that there are no additional provisions in the new constitution for unforeseen incidents such as natural disasters, force majeure, conflicts, election fraud, or rigging.
Our credible source also noted that a suggested enhancement of the APC constitution 2022 will includes a sub-section explicitly stating that if the presidential candidate or flag bearer loses an election conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and democratic manner, with results verified by national and international observers, and all stakeholders, including the main opposition, then removal can be considered after the stipulated 6-month period.
However, he noted that the sole condition for removing a flag bearer should be the fair loss of an election.
Our Source continued that the term “loss of election” should be interpreted without prejudice or exclusion of other contributing factors, as mentioned, adding that Preconditions of the elections were not met, highlighting a crucial gap.
He told this press that the 2023 Presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara is committed to rectifying the flaws in the June 24th 2023 general elections as their leader, despite the free and unclear wording of the rules.
A good number of other members of the Dr. Samura Kamara campaign team also told this press that the latest letter from the APC National Executive is a provocation to the silence of the Dr. Samura Kamara over their agenda 2028 proposals, adding that the APC 2023 Presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara will continues to remain silent until the week ultimatum elapses. According to our credible sources, the APC National Advisory Council (NAC) has been reminded that Dr. Samura Kamara was never elected as leader but was elected as Flagbearer and Presidential candidate, which simply means that one cannot remove a leader who was never elected in the first place for the position. He continued that whether the tenure of Dr. Samura Kamara ended on December 27 2023 or not was reasonable as far as the APC 2022 Constitution is concern.
Reports from the corridors of the APC Headquarters also says’ that Dr. Samura Kamara has previously made it clear to the national executive that they have no rights to remove him and that only the next delegates’ conference has the right to remove him. “You can take your leadership if you want because as far as I am concern I was elected Flagbearer and Presidential candidate. I was never elected leader of the APC in Makeni during the past 2023 national delegates’ convention” Dr. Samura Kamara was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, in their response letter to Dr. Samura Kamara, the APC National Executive noted that the 2023 Presidential candidate has previously accepted without hesitation that his role as Flagbearer and leader of the party will cease after the completion of the Tripartite Committee works on electoral reforms in the country, noting that such works from the Tripartite Committee have been completed and the report submitted to the President for implementation.
According to the APC Scribe, now that the works of the committee has been completed and effort to implement it under, the APC is requesting Dr. Samura Kamara to hand over the keys as his role as the APC leader has finally ended.