The main opposition, APC ( All People’s Congress ) party is in deep PR crisis as it fights hard to regain people’s trust and confidence.
The party’s Public Relations ( PR) is in disaster owing to the lack of political know how.
It is finding it difficult to manage its internal and external publics. The party has not been reaching out to the public effectively.
APCians recently has suffered multiple setbacks as their iconic political propagandist, Alhaji Alpha Khan sides with the ruling government, SLPP.
The reds had faced torture as they marched publicly to celebrate their aspirant for this year’s June 24 presidential elections.
Some APC senior politicians and supporters were maltreated in broad daylight on February 18 by a group of government security guards in the capital.
The reds have become target of oppression by the greener party, SLPP , which is in governance.
The opposition’s secretary general, Lansana Dumbuya Esq, was allegedly beaten up by presidential guards as they walked past Hill Station in the west of the capital Freetown.
Opposition supporters and politicians have suffered series of brutality by the sitting government since it assumed power in 2018.
Most of APC politicians have faced prison sentences including a former minister of defense , Alfred Palo Conteh, under the leadership of president Julius Maada Bio.
A crackdown on senior opposition politicians fell like meteorites from the sky suddenly after the establishment of a defunct commissions of enquiry.
Some opposition figures like Cornelius Deaveaux,APC’s former Publicity Secretary, challenged the legality of the existence of the commissions of enquiry.
The politician became targeted as his life was put in danger by police and armed officers.
Mr. Deaveaux was very outspoken at the time as he made appearances on radio and on TV to highlight government missteps.
Seeing him as a ferocious political communicator, Mr. Deaveaux was forced to surrender as he fled to Gambia for his life.
Many of APCians had suffered similar fate like him while another red roses politician, Abudulai Bayraytay sleeps on a cushion-sofa in Canada.
Despite an African, Bayraytay is known for his stylish American accent. The stylish speaker was APC government spokesperson during ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma’s latest regime.
But he is seen by many as an opportunist than a loyalist.
” You will only see him when APC is in power. Since he left the country after 2018 elections, we have not been hearing from him. For Alpha Khan, we don’t want him to come to APC again” says an APC stalwart supporter.
The observation of APC diehard man seems to ring true as the other politician stays in Canada and his family while the propagandist dines on SLPP dinning table as he holds a key position in governance.
Unlike others, Bayraytay, has never relinquished his dual citizenship status as a politician.
Under the leadership of ex- president Koroma, Bayraytay, enjoyed privileges and immunities as he was paying bills for his family abroad out of Sierra Leoneans taxes paid.
But while the country is in economic crisis and his party is now out of power, the smooth-talking politician has abandoned his countrymen and party comrades.
His party is in deep mess as it struggles to keep a head in the game.
APC has suffered series of court litigations while supporters are plunged into a wilderness of mistrust and miscommunication.
There was a growing mistrust between APC young reformers, power-thirst politicians and the followers.
It was at this time that Bayraytay and Alpha Khan were badly needed as add-on to APC media team which has died even before Bio triumphs.
And the media campaign team that was set up by Koroma in 2017 was itself allegedly booted down by Abdulai Bayraytay.
His comrades had claimed that he solely pocketed millions of leones meant for APC’s media campaigns which should have enabled the party to get a tight grip on public opinion ahead of 2018 polls.
At present, the reds need a robust PR team than a PR man. Sidi Yahya Tunis is now APC’s only spokesperson.
He has himself been locked behind bars by the government for being vocal.
Unlike Cornelius Deaveaux, many APC stalwarts say, Sidi Yahya Tunis has a cool voice to talk on critical issues that need a strong voice of condemnation.
A multi-pronged approach is needed on media relations to straighten out and strengthen up APC narratives.
APC is failing badly in relating with the public in their not-too many media engagements.
Rather, it chooses to send out messages of its activities on social media.
Instead of paying media houses to disseminate their information, it saturates the public with social media messages in chunks.
Now that Cornelius Deaveaux is in distant land and others away, the party continues to crumple up.