In a historic political engagement held yesterday, Dr. Sam Bangura, former APC Tonkolili District Chairman, convened stakeholders and party supporters, particularly from Constituency 050, for a political dialogue ahead of the constituency elections. The meeting was aimed at fostering peace, unity, and cooperation within the constituency and the district at large.
The meeting brought together the National Coordinator of the Independent Elections Management Committee (IEMC), Comrade Hassan, and his team; the Deputy Chairman of the Tonkolili District Council; Dr. Ibrahim Prince Tholley; and other key stakeholders. The engagement provided an opportunity to meet with delegates and the team of OrFarmer, who had contested for the Constituency Chairman position, to discuss a peaceful resolution in the interest of the party.
Following deliberations and in honour of the leadership’s decision, OrFarmer and his team agreed to step down from all positions they had contested for, demonstrating their commitment to peace and respect for party leadership. It is worth noting that OrFarmer’s team had previously been declared winners during the second rerun phase of the constituency elections conducted in Magburaka.
Dr. Ibrahim Prince Tholley ithe next APC Tonkolili District Chairman in his opening remarks reflected on his longstanding service to the APC, which has taken him to the party’s highest decision-making body.
He emphasized that he could not stand by and watch Tonkolili miss out on participating effectively in the district elections, given the significant implications for the district’s political history and future. He explained that the decision was a collective leadership decision guided by Dr. Sam Bangura, whom he proudly supported in his chairmanship aspiration.
Dr. Tholley described his support for Dr. Sam Bangura as one of the best political decisions he had ever made, stressing the importance of unity, consultation, and collective responsibility in advancing the interests of Tonkolili District.
In his remarks, Dr. Sam Bangura recounted the circumstances that led to the political engagement, explaining that the disagreement arose during consultations to establish a list of individuals to contest specific positions in the constituency 050 elections.
According to Dr. Sam, Hon. Larkoh initially submitted multiple names for the some positions, despite the understanding that only one individual should be nominated for each position. He therefore convened a meeting with the Member of Parliament to deliberate on the proposed list and reach a common understanding.
Following the discussions, a list was agreed upon without objection from Hon. Larkoh. Dr. Sam further explained that Hon. Larkoh personally typed the agreed list and shared it with him. Subsequently, the individuals whose names had been confirmed were notified accordingly.
However, Dr. Sam expressed disappointment that Hon. Larkoh later altered the agreed list, removing the names of individuals they had jointly endorsed and substituting names that, according to him, had not been mutually agreed upon.
Describing the development as a breach of trust, Dr. Sam said he subsequently engaged the Member of Parliament to clarify the situation. He maintained that if Hon. Larkoh had decided to support individuals outside their agreed list, he would continue to stand by those they had jointly endorsed and notified.
Dr. Sam further expressed disappointment that the disagreement had created room for unhealthy competition among party supporters in the constituency, including individuals who, according to him, had supported Hon. Larkoh before his election to Parliament.
He stated that he felt betrayed and disappointed by someone he had trusted and for whom he had undertaken personal assignments on behalf of the district. In his words, “I trusted the wrong person, the agreement was broken, and he breached the agreement.”
Despite his disappointment, Dr. Sam wished Hon. Larkoh well in his political endeavours, emphasizing that disagreements should be resolved through dialogue rather than division. He explained that the political discussion was necessary to enable leaders to make difficult decisions in the broader interest of the district and to promote peace within the party.
As part of the reconciliation process, a sum of NLe 50,000 was presented to OrFarmer and his team in recognition of their willingness to respect the leadership’s decision and support efforts to maintain peace in the constituency.
Additionally, Dr. Sam announced that NLe 15,000 would be provided to each of the 12 aspirants who had contested but subsequently agreed to step down. A brand-new motorbike would also be presented to OrFarmer to facilitate constituency mobilisation activities.
The gesture was warmly appreciated by OrFarmer and his team, who acknowledged the support and the importance of maintaining peace and unity within the party.
Comrade Hassan IEMC National Coordinator Hassan in his remarks, commended the district leadership for facilitating the engagement and described the initiative as a demonstration of responsible leadership.
He particularly praised Dr. Sam Bangura for consistently playing a fatherly role in Tonkolili District and the APC at large. He noted that such interventions were important for resolving disagreements, promoting understanding among stakeholders, and strengthening the party’s unity ahead of the district elections.
The engagement ended with renewed calls for peace, cooperation, and respect for collective decisions, with stakeholders emphasizing that the broader interests of the APC and the people of Tonkolili must remain paramount.
