Sanpha Sesay
The Texas Chief
A one day delegate conference in preparation for the forth-coming convention of the APC-USA branch has ended in Dallas Texas on March 19, with several recommendations outlined. The conference initiated by the interim administration was to explore ideas and to re-invigorate the fifth branch of the All people’s Congress (APC) in the United States. Guests flown from all across the country descended upon the superb Regency Hotel in Dallas to discuss the warps and woofs of political enterprise of the ruling APC party and its branch in the United States.
1. Chairman Ibrahim S. Kamara
2. Sheik Daboh taking oth of office
3. The High table
The conference was extremely well publicized and with the help of social media, there was a buzz of excitement about the conference which comprises of a wide range of diverse opinions. Almost every tribe in Sierra Leone was represented in the delegate conference. It was the first time a delegate conference was held prior to a convention for elections to be conducted.
Party members participated in the shaping of the APC-USA policy throughout the day by feeding in ideas and recommendations to the Secretariat of the APC Headquarters in Freetown. The branch chapter leaders demonstrated their ability for leadership and shown their great industry at work and eloquences in their presentations. They were instinctively focuses on social issues of peace, unity and love. The delegates were able to pair the quantitative and ethics-oriented approach to the APC party policies.
1. Sheik Daboh taking oath of office
2. APC Dallas Executive taking oath
3. APC Dallas group
In the deliberations, Conference delegates are exceptionally given the chance to decide on competing leadership bids as three prominent members, Mr. Unisa Kanu of Atlanta Georgia, Mr. Ahmed Kanu of Columbus Ohio and Mr. Joseph B. Kamara of Washington metropolitan, all declared their intention to run for the APC-USA Chairmanship. The three aspirants, in their desperations, had been launching campaigns since November 2013 when an interim administration was unilaterally installed in Washington by a high powered delegation from the head quarters in Freetown.
The conference kicks off with an opening remark by the interim Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim S. Kamara of Washington District Columbia –DC chapter after the two national anthems of Sierra Leone and the United States were sang.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Kamara informed delegates that the conference was a path to a successful convention. The convention was highly expected to be held in April, but surprisingly, it was during the deliberation that breaking news brought forth by the Chairman that the intended convention has been postponed by the party Secretary, Ambassador Osaman Yansaneh to the second week of June. Some of the delegates became disoriented as a result of postponement announcement, but Chairman Kamara in his fortitude apologize to the delegates and ascertains that the June schedule, despite no clear date, will be a final period for the convention.
The Chairman described the delegate conference and the froth-coming convention as plenary meetings under the APC-USA branch, saying that it is a key administrative stage in the on-going campaign to unify the party and a lesson to be learnt at all branches.
Mr. Kamara advised delegates to be steadfast and compliance to the core values of the party so that the branch continue to achieve a sustainable peace and unity. A return to bigotry and anarchy within the branch membership has no more accommodation in the APC-USA branch, he said.
Many delegates were impressed over the president, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet. The interim Chairman commended the president, for greatly increasing the visibility and inclusion of Diasporas in the government. President koroma is a leader in our midst who is endowed with relentless courage, vision, ability and profound faith in humanity, some say.
Report of the delegate conference will be published by the interim in a communiqué that will comprise several recommendations. Most consensuses in the recommendations that expected to be in the communiqué is that, members requested to have a position in the party National Action Committee – NAC so that the branch will be represented in any party actions and discipline. It was also a consensus that the APC-USA convention should be rotational, state by state starting this one in June.
The branch has a diverse and dynamic speakers deliberations on issues and this conference have provided an in-depth insight, as well as, actionable and practical tools of engagement models. However, in order to foster the appropriate level of participation in the fourth coming convention, we would like to ensure that a date and venue for the convention should be announced by the interim as soon as possible so that a full participation of members from all across the states will be emerged, many say.
In another engagement, the Executive of the APC Dallas chapter took an oath of office before the interim Deputy Chairman, Mr. Abu Bakar Kanu from Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Sheik Daboh was sworn-in for the second time as president of the Dallas chapter.
When Mr. Kanu was administering the oath of office, he asked Sheik Daboh and his executive to raise their right hands, symbolic to represent every religion or faith. Sheik Daboh will start his tenure the second time on March 19 after swearing-in as the 5th president of the APC Dallas chapter.
The APC Dallas was established in 2002 by Honorable Mr. Sheku Tejan Koroma. The chapter became more prevalence at the tenure of Ms. Nanette Thomas who was recently appointed as Minister of Public and Political Affairs. Ms. Thomas, is well known as the Iron Lady of APC worldwide, was fairly represented by Mr. Sheik Daboh in the delegate conference.
Other presidents who served the chapter diligently and had made it pulsating with vigor and energy are Mr. Mambu Koroma and Mr. Cornelius Macarthy. The APC Dallas continue to achieve a long time success based on its past leaders and its collaborative effort to compete with the opposition, the Sierra Leone People’s Party SLPP which is struggling for leadership home and in the diaspora.
Mr. Sheik Daboh’s administration strategy is to effectively sharing goals with the membership and gets them on board with the mission and vision of the organization. He is making sure that the entire organization has a sense of being principled and honest, and there is an inviolable code as to how members are treated making the group unique and distinct from the other chapters.
The APC Dallas is one of few chapters that have never failed to subscribe and contribute to the branch demands to achieve the branch cohesive goals. The new president is fervently believe that the State House is a permanent resident for APC leadership, therefore, his chapter will continue to rise because, as he put it, we will continue to choose individuals who are bright, optimistic, informed, visible, visionary as well as practical in decision making.
Long live APC Dallas
Long live APC-USA
And long live APC Worldwide.
