The All People’s Congress ( APC) party has demonstrated the biggest political immaturity ever in the history of Sierra Leone as its boastful tricks in politics sink and melt down on the iceberg like the sinking Titanic.
The party’s failures showing up today was as a result of the ill-thought decision took by some members as it openly called for reforms.
The unresolved reforms took the party to court as reformers failed to settle growing grievances that boiled over after the party had failed to win 2018 general elections.
APC was defeated by Sierra Leone’s People’s Party ( SLPP), the oldest political party after the colonial era, by its candidate, Julius Maada Bio.
The ex-military officer, Brigadier Maada Bio, had contested against former President, Ernest Bai Koroma, in 2012 Sierra Leone’s elections. But the brigadier couldn’t win that election not until 2018 against APC’s candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara, a seasoned economist.
However, the deep rifts within APC have derailed it to conduct its lower level elections ahead of Sierra Leone’s 2023 elections. APC intra-party crisis rendered it not to strongly play an opposition role against the sitting government.
Its deep grievances continue to be deepening in trenches owing to several petitions by aggrieved members and court litigations slammed on the party.
APC’s subsequent scuffles and delays to hold its lower elections grew out of political immaturity demonstrated by its young crop of politicians, something the party fails to realize.
The formation of APC’s National Reformation Movement (NRM) was the biggest mistake made by members of APC’s National Advisory Committee ( NAC), the party’s supreme body.
The creation of a new wing led to fractions within APC party and that spurred up rookie politicians’ desire for swift reforms which however; later turn to be acrimonious marred by litigations counter litigations and scores of petitions.
APC ought to have borrowed a new leaf from African National Congress (ANC) party in South Africa. The then anti-apartheid movement in 1994 had Nelson Mandela as South African first black president. ANC is the most cherished party in South Africa. But its popularity suffered a public crush as ANC’s leader and President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, embroiled in corruption scandals as he loots state money to put up muliti-million dollar upgrades as his private home.
South Africans asked Mr. Zuma to resign as president due to mounting allegations of corruption. The opposition swayed support to the ruling government in parliament to vote out Mr.Zuma.
A beauty of maturity was clearly shown when ANC members denied a motion of no confidence to impeach President Zuma. Instead ANC oldest politicians told opposition members of parliament that they would resolve their leadership crisis within ANC.
Top leaders of the ruling African National Congress met Zuma at his Pretoria residence for a decision that one delegate had said would focus on the ‘’best interest’’ of the party and the country.
Also, members of South Africa oldest party were protesting at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg in February 2018, calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down, according to voanews.com.
Many ruling party members threw their love for Cyril Ramaphosa, who is now South Africa president and head of the party, ANC.
Unlike APC, ANC in South Africa has never used the court as a last resort to settle its leadership crisis and intra-party grievances.
It has ousted two prominent politicians from office in order to seek South Africans’ interest and the party’s popularity. Former president Thabo Mbeki in 2008 couldn’t finish his second term as he was ousted by ANC party members.
Ahead of 2019 elections, the ANC replaced President Jacob Zuma and chose Cyril Ramaphosa so that the party could recover its lost popularity. And Cyril Ramaphosa won the polls and gave victory to ANC.
And because APC fails to pick a leaf from the politics in South Africa as demonstrated by ANC, it should neither blame the ruling government, SLPP or the judiciary for its present messy situation.