Former All People’s Congress ( APC ) political heavyweight and one-time Vice-President Alhaji Sam Sumana was attacked at his homeland in Kono over the weekend.
Various versions of the attack have surfaced on the social media but Sierra Leoneans in general are mainly concerned that the spate of lawlessness and chaos in the country since President Maada Bio came to power in 2018 are very disturbing. Not a day passes without news of some lawless acts either by supporters of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) or the security forces or the general public.
Many Sierra Leoneans fear that at the rate lawlessness and political chaos are going on in Sierra Leone, another war is not a distant possibility , especially given the bitterness and intensity of the animosity between the ruling SLPP and the APC and the silence of the international community and moral guarantors of peace like the United Nations.
Listening to the various versions, it is certain that Alhaji Sam Sumana and the ruling SLPP have fallen out since the Chief manifested his desire to return to the opposition APC with whom he fell out in 2015 and formed the Coalition For Change ( C4C), which contested the 2018 elections. and won all but one of the Parliamentary seats in the whole of Kono district. Sumana however tendered his resignation from the C4C on Saturday 4th January 2020 because of his plans to return to the APC. Sidi Yaya Tunis Acting . Publicity Secretary of the All Peoples Congress (APC) told the Freetown media later that the party on Wednesday 8th January received Chief Sam Sumana’s membership application form. He disclosed that the National Advisory Council (NAC) expressed to Chief Sam Sumana its happiness to receive his application “and they will immediately start the process of bringing him back to the party he so loved.”
If Sam Sumana ‘s return to the APC is well managed by the party, it will cost the SLPP the 2023 elections because it will not be possible for the SLPP to win, without Kono and the APC strongholds of the Western Area and the North.
THE SLPP VERSION
“Expunged VP and APC reject Chief Sam Sumana continues to unleash his inclinations to violence by ordering his thugs to launch attack on SLPP Marshalls after he was denied VIP treatment at the funeral home of PC Abu Mbawa Kongoba in Koidu Town this evening.
“Similarly snubbed in Koinadugu at the funeral of late Momoh Conteh, Chief Sam Sumana drove down to Kono District to scope for relevance at the funeral of the late chief of Mafindor chiefdom. As he was not allowed to participate in the funeral discussions involving senior government officials, the paramount chiefs and family members, the gangster former VP ordered his boys to attack the SLPP marshals at the funeral house which resulted in the stabbing of one SLPP marshal by the notorious Adamu. Police are currently looking for Adamu and his band of thugs.
“In his usual false pretence to convince Former President Ernest Bai Koroma that he is a force in Kono, Chief Sam Sumana is also ready to sacrifice his Kono people to impress APC stalwarts. From all indications, it is evident that what transpired today in Koidu Town today is a demonstration that Vice President Dr Juldeh Jalloh’s politicking in Kono has reduced Sam Sumana to gangsterism in his bid to seek relevance. Majority of Kono residents including opinion leaders are openly criticizing Sam Sumana, calling him a thug with no finance and technical competence to match VP Juldeh Jalloh.”
THE FRIENDS OF SAM SUMANA’S VERSION
*PRESS RELEASE*
*WE THE FRIENDS OF SAM SUMANA CONDEMNED THE OUTRAGEOUS ATTACKED ON OUR LEADER SAM SUMANA YESTERDAY THE 11th OF JULY 2020 BY SOME GROUP PURPORTED TO BE MEMBERS OF THE SLPP LED GOVERNMENT.*
For records, our leader Sam Sumana had exhibited highest form of peacefulness in Sierra Leone and beyond.
*Today, he is known as the global peace ambassador for Africa and the world at large.*
The attacked of being assassinated melted on him yesterday is an unfortunate one, and *we condemn it* and ask for the intervention of the international community, the A.U and ECOWAS to intervene before this nation go back to the dark days of the 11 years civil strive we had suffered as a nation.
Our leader Chief Sam Sumana believes in the theory of Mahatma Gandhi, who wrote extensively on non violent. The world should not sit back and look this nation go back to the dark days of civil war that was fought in this country. *We therefore call on all religious and political actors and demand the inspector general of police to set up an impartial investigating team to look in to the attempted murder of Chief Sam Sumana,* a prominent figure who, happens to be our former Vice President of Sierra Leone.
We are also calling on the father of the nation, his excellency the *PRESIDENT* of Sierra Leone,
1. To install all security personnel withdrew from the former Vice President Chief Sam Sumana, for that is his entitlement. He has the right to enjoying his emoluments as former vice president of Sierra leone for that is what his predecessors had enjoyed.
2. The police should speedily investigate the alleged crime commuter and charge them to court
3. He should be given the opportunity to enjoy his democratic rights as a state man
Sierra Leone, as a nation had far gone from the dark days of dictatorship and the principles of democracy should be earn and observe by this government. Sierra Leone is not a dungeon, where the rule of law is not been adhered to, freedom of expression is absent and the right to belong to any political parties is not guaranteed. It is our constitutional right to belong to any political party, Express and exercise our democratic right, as long as it is within the confines of the law.
Friends of Sam Sumana is calling on the security forces
(I G, Director of ONS) to speed up with investigation and brought to book all perpetrators of the alleged murder attempt on Chief Sam Sumana, former Vice president of Sierra Leone.
*End!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
From The he National Executive
*FRIENDS OF SAM SUMANA*
*Cc 😗
The Chairman of FOSS
The Vice Chairman
The Seg General
The Media
The PRO
The Chief Coordinator
The Chairlady
THE SLPP MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, HON. TAMBA LAMINA
“The WhatsApp hype and misinformation is just an attempt on the part of light weight politicians to clamour for underserved attention. As Minister of Local Government and Rural Development with the mandate to provide support to and oversight over 190 Chiefdoms, how could a naive politician boxing above his weight be allowed to usurp my constitutional responsibility in the name of furthering his already flagged political capital?
“The issue is simple, Sam Sumana’s attempt to take over my role yesterday, was a clear attempt at embarrassing government. It was disrespectful and shameful to say the least. He only ended up embarrassing himself and such juvenile posturing has to stop. How dear him?
“The ceremony of the late Paramount Chief will continue as planned with the Ministry of Local Government playing a critical role in ensuring that a deserving Paramount Chief is provided a very dignified funeral in accordance with the customs and traditions of the people of Mafindor Chiefdom.
