Now that the dust has been dusted; now that the hypes have been hyped into crescendos, and speculations speculated as to who will be the running-mate of Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara for the June 24 presidential election, we think it is time for the newly-elected presidential candidate to make the announcement faster.
The Nationalist holds the view that the longer it takes for Dr Samura Kamara to make the announcement; the more camps will emerge within the All People’s Congress (APC). And the more the APC is fragmented into camps; the more it will be difficult to close the chasms after the running-mate is announced.
New names and faces are surfacing on a daily basis; old names are being recycled and thrown into what now appears to be a contest with the aim of muddying the running-mate issue. Operatives of the ruling party, too, have devised several schemes to throw the foxes inside the chicken coops.
And besides, it is not good for the health of the APC to be once again gripped with such suspense when all the party’s rank and file want now is stability within the APC. The party faithful just want to go ahead with the campaign to remove the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) on June 24 through the ballot box. And such a delay appears to be dampening the spirits of the party’s supporters and sympathizers.
Many political observers are interpreting the delay, in naming his running-mate, as indecisiveness on the part of Dr Samura Kamara. But others say by taking his time, the APC presidential candidate is not only his own man but it is showing that Dr Samura Kamara is a man who doesn’t believe in making decisions in a hurry. And he may be savoring the moment of being the man who holds both the yam and the knife.
But delay is dangerous, especially as President Julius Maada Bio has already named Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh as his running-mate. This means Dr Samura Kamara, too, should look for a Muslim as the Muslim population in Sierra Leone is over 70%. Added to that, in choosing his running-mate, the APC Presidential candidate must also look for someone from Freetown because the capital is one of the regions that have always been voting overwhelmingly for the APC.
The Nationalist is not, in any way, postulating that the party’s National Advisory Council (NAC) and its presidential candidate should not be given ample time to choose the running mate. But, we are only making a case for timeliness and political correctness as delay is sometimes dangerous. This issue should be laid to rest so that Dr Samura Kamara will have time to concentrate on his strategies to unseat President Bio on June 24 through the ballot box!