Former Vice President of Sierra Leone, Chief Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana, has taken his dispute over party membership to external arbitration, questioning his eligibility status within the All People’s Congress (APC).
Sumana insists he is entitled to an honorary membership card, not an ordinary one, citing Section 60E of the APC constitution. He said he had engaged the party’s Elders Council in an effort to resolve the matter amicably but without success.
“If my rightful card is given to me today, I’ll drop the case,” he said.
The former Vice President clarified that he did not voluntarily leave the APC but was expelled, and noted that his long-standing differences with former President Ernest Bai Koroma have already been settled. He said it was Koroma himself who encouraged his return to the party.
Sumana further called for the removal of what he described as “discriminatory clauses” in the APC constitution, arguing that they conflict with Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution. He underscored the importance of Kono District voters to the APC’s chances of regaining political power and urged the party to ensure a level playing field for all flagbearer aspirants.
The dispute centers on provisions in the new APC constitution, which require anyone seeking the party’s leadership to have been a fully paid-up member for at least five years.
