By Kamalo
The bulk of the membership of the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leonean public by extension are feeling it and are well aware that a Samura-Chericoco combination of presidential flag and running-mate could be the only way out in the 2023 elections. Even the Maada Bio ‘Paopa’ bandwagon is fear-struck that such a hybrid will punch them hard and send their government swiveling back into the political wilderness, the more reason they are searching for every opportunity to hang Dr Samura Kamara by the neck as a criminal through alleged trumped-up legal charges to bar him from the political race.
Samura-Chericoco did it in the 2018 elections, at a time when Samura was chosen from nowhere near popularity, leading Sierra Leoneans to ask “U SABI AM”? with a reply by the critics “WE NOR SABI AM O, USAI ENA PULL AM”. Samura Kamara was indeed not known as a politician but as a technocrat. But even so, it’s only by a dint of fortune that Bio and his SLPP snatched victory from him with the aid of external forces that were saddled with the desire to effectuate a regime change. Even so, Bio’s victory over the Samura-Chericoco team was by an infinitesimal margin of less than 2 percent, indicating that the re-emergence of such a political force after five years of earning more accolades from local and international fronts should be reckoned with.
The good news about it all is already that amid Bio’s narrow victory in 2018, his government has extensively failed to imbibe democratic best practices, and talk less of turning things around to improve the development fabric of the country and the welfare of the people. On that note, therefore, there would be little or no opportunity left for the Bio government to stay in power beyond the 2023 elections, according to popular emotions sieved from people across the divide.
Indeed, June 24, 2023, will be the day for Sierra Leone to rise above the mundane only if APC stalwarts can strongly commit to it as their unavoidable resolution ahead of D-Day. Being at each other’s throats is not the fulfillment of it all but a responsibility to imbibe internal peaceful coexistence in finding an authority to take on the challenges.
Five years on into the Bio-led paopa government of untold atrocities against Sierra Leoneans, Samura Kamara and Chericoco have been appreciated by the majority of party members and even beyond for their selfless efforts so far. Even when they lost the 2018 elections, they know it was by very questionable means, and are not, therefore, being ruffled but instead, have continued to occupy the political landscape both in defence of the APC against the callousness of the Bio regime and doing their bits to alleviate the plight of the people at a time when other politicians are comforting themselves with outright greed and deafening silence in their hideouts.
Besides, the ugly spate at which Samura Kamara is being treated by the Bio Paopa government whilst his APC colleagues look on in inertia and even pat them on the backs with appreciative voices, has curried much sympathy for him from across the globe and other political parties in the country.
We learned that during the holy month of Ramadan last year, Samura Kamara did not only crisscross the country to soothe the Muslim fraternity in particular, and the general population in general, for the hard financial times and high cost of living they were confronting but doled out 13 bags of rice, onions and other assorted condiments to each Constituency. Yet, he is noiseless about it all, a politician that one can place faith in because he has proved to be peace-loving, transparent, trustworthy, reliable, and tolerant.
Political harassment and intimidation, and the selfless strides to mitigate the plight of their compatriots, as well as their enthusiasm for interactive politics with all levels of people, have made the Samura-Chericoco hybrid very popular among the lot, thus, nipping in the bud that rhetorical question of “u sabi am” (do you know him?) during the 2018 electioneering process.
Both Samura Kamara and Chericoco are visionary politicians and philanthropists that are readily there for their suffering people. Their mighty All Peoples Congress (APC) should give them one more chance, as Sierra Leoneans have accepted them as nation developers in waiting and are ready to vote for them. A clear signal of a Samura-Chericoco victory in 2023 polls ahead of time is when the people have been left with the unwavering taste and readiness to welcome the two with thunderous applauses wherever they go in the nooks and crannies of the country
Political analysts have, therefore, envisioned that the APC’s aspirations, hopes, and networking goals are meant to come to fruition if they stopped being giddy in their party’s standard-bearer race. The final straw that is sure to break the camel’s back of the opponent is a quick shift from the “me and only me” mentality to one that looks at the bigger picture for an easy victory in 2023, and judging the Samura-Chericoco performance in the 2018 polls, and their strides since then to date could be a greater help!