By: Ben Turay (The Ataya Pot)
17th May, 2023
Great political movements are built by silent sacrifices. Yet history warns us: parties that fall prey to internal envy and rivalry destroy their own strength from within. And that often happens when personal ambition overshadows collective vision, even your brightest minds become targets. Dr. Ibrahim Bangura’s service to the APC reminds us of what we risk losing when ego is louder than unity.
In the critical weeks leading up to the 2018 elections, as the APC confronted the daunting task of finalizing a manifesto that could speak to the aspirations of the people, one moment stands out with the weight of quiet heroism. It was the 15th of February 2018. Dr. Ibrahim Bangura and I were preparing to depart for Kambia as part of our door-to-door mobilization efforts, when his phone rang with an urgent request that would change our plans and, arguably, strengthen our party’s credibility.
On the line was Dr. Mohamed Gibril Sesay, then Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. His words were clear, sincere, and selfless:
“Dr. Bangura, please come and help me structure this manifesto.”
It was not a call made out of incapacity, but one rooted in wisdom. In academic and professional circles, it is standard practice to invite peers to review, refine, and strengthen one’s work. The purpose is not to undermine ability, but to elevate quality. Dr. Sesay’s initiative to bring in Dr. Bangura was an exemplary act of leadership, placing the party above ego, and the country above pride.
Without hesitation, Dr. Bangura postponed the Kambia engagement, despite the crowds awaiting our arrival, and redirected his energy toward the party’s manifesto, that most critical document which serves as the soul of any political campaign. We met Dr. Sesay at the temporary APC operations office on Hannah Benka-Coker Street. He had spent countless hours trying to shape a document that had grown burdensome with unrefined ideas and conflicting messages. What he needed was not just help, but strategic clarity.
Dr. Bangura, ever committed, saw the stakes: if the party’s manifesto failed to inspire, it could call into question our preparedness to govern. He took the documents, returned home, and spent hours restructuring, reframing, and refining. What emerged was more than a manifesto, it was a message of readiness, of competence, and of vision.
But let it be known: this was not Dr. Bangura’s first heavy lifting. He has been serving the APC since the age of 15, committed in spirit, consistent in action, and principled in service. Fixing the manifesto was only one of many critical roles he has quietly undertaken for the progress of the party.
In this era of ambition and political calculation, let us take a moment to reflect. Too often, valuable comrades are misrepresented simply because they pose a threat to someone else’s ambitions. But as Niccolò Machiavelli reminds us in The Prince, internal discord is the greatest gift one can offer an opponent. A party that devours its thinkers, undermines its planners, and conspires against its brightest lights will not endure, let alone lead.
History is replete with lessons. From the internal betrayals that weakened the Convention People’s Party in Ghana, to the quiet sabotage that broke promising movements across Africa, the pattern is clear: when personal ambition eclipses collective purpose, both party and nation suffer.
Sierra Leoneans do not need to look any further for such lesssons. The current state of the country under the belligerent and clueless SLPP government should galvanise us together for our party’s and nation’s greater good.
Let us not repeat those mistakes. Let us not silence the brilliance of those who rise, not with arrogance, but with diligence and service. And let us honor leaders like Dr. Mohamed Gibril Sesay, who in a moment of challenge, chose collaboration over competition. That is what strong leadership looks like. That is what party unity demands.
To my comrades: let us build each other up, not tear each other down. Let us rise together, for only together can we win and govern with honor.
In the APC, we must not only speak of change, we must embody it. Let us rally behind those who serve, not because it benefits them, but because it strengthens us all.
Vote Marah, Save SLAJ