The former President, Chairman and Leader of the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) party has been viewed as a sell out to his former party after he succeeded in handpicking the twice defeated but soft natured peaceful and humble, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara as presidential candidate and Leader of the party leading to the current shambolic state of the APC party.
Sane minds in the political landscape are seeing the former president who was dubbed as ‘world best’ during his reign as one responsible for all two defeats of their candidate by Rtd. Brig. Dr. Julius Maada Bio known as the ‘Mr. Talk and Do’ president.
Many believe that Dr. Koroma could have done the right thing by selecting members who contested for his position at the time during the 2018 party convention than maliciously handpicking one of loyalists to contest against Mr. Bio, the red eyed presidential opponent by then who resisted all forms of intimidations and political game plan till he clinched the presidency from the cold hands of the APC who were left surprised with the selection of their then Chairman and Leader who they ranked as almighty and demi-god.
Political commentators have squarely placed the albatross round the neck of the former president whom they alleged made a special arrangement to take power from the hands of his men and the latter to do vice versa. Clearly, it is believed by these political analysts that former President Koroma is still a president in waiting as he has plans to contest the race come 2028 believing too well that he has the wealth and popularity to take the APC party back to State House.
Many are holding the strong conviction that the former Chairman and Leader chose Dr. Samura realizing that his predecessor is a hard known presidential figure and that was the reason he was tagged as ‘you sabi am’ just after him and Lawyer Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah (Chericoco) were selected to confront Dr. Julius Maada Bio who had traded himself to Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad as well as the global community and proved fruitless for the APC to continue in power.
These commentators averred that former President Koroma did not even tour the four corners of the country with the man he partially selected for his own best interest, adding that the former Chairman put the party into the mud by making hurting remarks against senior members of the party during a convention in Makeni.
And it is strongly believed that the adage ‘what happens in Makeni stays in Makeni’ was introduced as a slogan by the former President in mockery of those who spent their resources, time and energy in rallying and touring to succeed his position as presidential candidate.
As the popularity of the APC party continues to wane after losing at the polls to then opposition SLPP party, sources have claimed Dr. Koroma to be the face that will revive the party as he was lately being described as the face of the party and the reason that Dr. Samura could not emerge as both 2018 and 2023 president as Mr. Koroma failed to flank their flagbearer in nearly almost all his public appearances to lure the voters.
Recently, the 2007 and 2012 presidential ‘world best’, has been noticed to be having close talks with the government of President Bio in order to restore tranquility and a push to revive the economy being that his government was rated as the fastest growing economy in the world before the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic that killed many and crippled the economy.
Some schools of thought also believed that the former Head of State is having a close in-depth indoor discussion with big guns of the SLPP as they are convinced he has done his bid to keep the current ruling party in power and will pass the baton over to him after Dr. Bio might have succeeded in misplacing the SLPP over who will replace him next as flagbearer and national Leader.
These gurus and political analysts have disclosed strongly by asking the question of whether what the former president Koroma can be described as a loyalist or openly seen as a traitor who betrayed the party for his own selfish gains.
One of his main contenders for the flagbearer position during 2007, the seasoned and erudite Lawyer, the late Edward Turay during the party’s struggle for survival in the just concluded 2023 election blamed Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma for selecting two unpopular candidates as he described both the flagbearer and running mate as having no regional stronghold especially the latter, Chericoco whom he said has no face value in the political landscape of the country.
Many are calling on the former Chairman and Leader to bring unity in the party by letting every member irrespective of their differences to blow their minds and restore the sanity in the party to take back State House from the hands of the SLPP which many believe has not done well with the economy in tatters.