The All People’s Congress (APC) has moved to steady public debate following a recent ruling by the Political Parties Regulation Commission on the status of former Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana, making it clear that the party’s posture toward him predates the commission’s decision and is rooted in its own internal processes.
Speaking in Freetown, APC National Publicity Secretary Minkailu Koroma said the party had already opened its doors to Sam-Sumana long before the PPRC ruling was delivered. According to him, the former vice president’s return to the APC was not triggered by regulatory pressure but by earlier political decisions taken within the party’s leadership structures. He added that the APC’s National Advisory Committee will convene shortly to study the PPRC’s ruling and formally decide whether the party accepts or rejects it, after which all members are expected to rally behind the final position.
To understand the weight of the current moment, it is necessary to return to where the dispute began. Sam-Sumana was elected vice president in 2007 on the APC ticket, serving alongside President Ernest Bai Koroma. Over time, relations between the two camps deteriorated. Party insiders at the time cited deep political disagreements, allegations of disloyalty, and internal power struggles. In 2015, while the APC was still in government, President Koroma dismissed Sam-Sumana from office, arguing that he had ceased to be a member of the party and therefore could not constitutionally remain vice president.
The dismissal was unprecedented in Sierra Leone’s postwar politics and immediately sparked a legal and political storm. Sam-Sumana challenged the decision in court, insisting that his removal was unconstitutional and politically motivated. The matter eventually reached the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which in 2017 ruled that his dismissal violated due process and ordered the government to pay compensation. By then, however, his term had effectively ended, and the APC was approaching the close of its time in power.
Fast forward to the present; the political landscape has shifted dramatically. The APC is now in opposition, seeking to rebuild its structures and prepare for internal elections to select a new flagbearer. In this context, Sam-Sumana’s political status has once again become a sensitive issue, drawing attention not only because of his history with the party but also because of what his return could mean for internal balance and future leadership contests.
The recent PPRC ruling, which has reignited public discussion, has been interpreted by some as an attempt to formally settle his standing within the APC. Minkailu Koroma, however, was keen to stress that the party’s decision-making remains sovereign. He said the ruling was delivered on Tuesday and immediately attracted public interest, with many supporters and observers demanding clarity on whether the APC would comply with it.
Koroma emphasized that the final word rests with the National Advisory Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body between conventions. Once NAC reaches a conclusion, he said, it will be binding on the entire party, with no room for dissent.
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Beyond the legal arguments, the Sam-Sumana question carries strong political symbolism. For some APC supporters, his dismissal remains a painful reminder of internal fractures during the party’s years in power. For others, his possible reintegration is seen as a test of the APC’s commitment to reconciliation and internal democracy as it positions itself for the future.
As the party prepares for crucial in-house elections and a broader national contest ahead, the handling of Sam-Sumana’s case may well signal how the APC intends to deal with its past while charting a new course as an opposition force.
