Kamarainba
Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray, the man who wants to become presidential candidate of the governing All People's Congress party, has indicated his intentions to leave the party and set up a new one, according to usually reliable party and family sources who spoke to Politico.
It follows the refusal by the party's secretariat to allow him to pay up his membership dues and upgrade himself to “Foundation Executive Member” status which is allowed for in the party following payment of a certain amount.
The sources say Kamarainba on Tuesday 15 April 2014 paid Le 1,100,000 (Le 500,000 for upgrade and Le 600,000 for annual membership dues) and was issued with a receipt and told to check at a later date for his card. Then on the following day he received a phone call from one Fatima that he should go for his card but must bring along his receipt, our source said.
Kamarainba then sent his personal assistant, one of our contacts says, and instead of receiving the card, the membership and upgrade fees were refunded and the receipt withheld.
Supporters of Kamarainba who spoke to Politico said they had planned to demonstrate against what they consider “a denial of his right” but that he stopped them “to avoid confrontation”. However reports say the demo did go on.
He is expected to travel to the United States “to inform his supporters about his decision to break ranks with the APC and form a new party”, according to an aide.
Early this year, the APC issued a press release urging the presidential aspirant to desist from any political activity in the name of the party. He had been mounting campaigns on social media and in some communities in parts of the country.
Secretary General of the party, Osman Yansanneh, said Kamarainba was never a member of the APC and that he was only recently trying to acquire membership status but could not meet the requirements.
“Although APC membership is open to all Sierra Leoneans, there are entry requirements and procedures to follow. We are a disciplined party and we don’t tolerate indiscipline people,” he said, adding that Kamarainba came to the country a few months ago and said he was the anointed to take after President Ernest Bai Koroma.
“He came to me and said he had been anointed by the president. But I told him that that was impossible because our party has a structure. He actually met the president and told him that he wanted to succeed him. The president told him that he was not discussing his successor”, Yansanneh told Politico.
He said he warned him against telling the world that he had been anointed by the president and that before the elections in 2012 they had suspended registration as a way to prevent problems and discourage the possibility of people using party cards to wreak havoc.
“Besides to acquire a foundation membership you must have been recommended by a respected senior member of the party. Kamarainba brought Le 500,000 to be registered as ordinary member and paid additional 600,000 as dues for one year. Because he did not meet the requirement we gave him back his money. He threatened to fight back. But we have the right to reject an application”, he said, adding that “a man who comes to fight won’t be tolerated”.
The APC scribe said they also had every right to warn Kamarainba against using the party logos and symbols, which was why he had to officially write and discouraged him from doing so.
Even though he declined to comment on whether or not he plans to form a new party, Kamarainba denied that he was not a member of the APC. "I joined the APC party in 1996 shortly after a ban on political party was lifted by the NPRC" he told Politico. He said he had even acted as Youth Director for the party's Washington DC/Maryland chapter and had been a part of the party's delegations that had visited the president. He said Yansanneh's claims were "baseless, unfounded and untrue".
(C) Politico 24/04/14
