APC stalwart denounces Koroma cabinet

A long-time activist and stalwart of the All People’s Congress party has described President Ernest Bai Koroma’s new ministerial nominees as “unsatisfactory to the Temnes”. Mohamed Adikali Bangura who came to the Politico office looking livid claiming he was speaking for thousands of party supporters, said Temnes felt betrayed by the decision of the president “to appoint only two Temnes to cabinet positions”. He named the two as Alpha Kanu the nominee for Minister of Information and Alimamy Petito Koroma as Minister of Works. The 59-year-old Bangura who said that he had been an APC activist since 1966, said he was speaking for “senior and rank and file members of the party who are too afraid to speak out”. He accused president Koroma of using the APC party and Temnes in particularly as “bulldozers” whom he had used to work for him and had abandoned them to pursue his own agenda. He said the biggest beneficiaries of the new cabinet were Lokos and Limbas whom he said had occupied the “most important” positions in cabinet. Bangura said that after the elections those APC members “who sacrificed our life and resources” have been marginalized, adding that it was good to speak out about the issue and not wait until the party had imploded due to internal disgruntlement. He said that if he did not speak out the party would stand the risk of disgruntled elements leaving it ahead of the next elections due to dissatisfaction “like Tejan Kabbah did to the SLPP party” ahead of the 2007 elections. He said that he played “an important role” in the reelection campaign of President Koroma both in Sierra Leone where he said he worked tirelessly in drumming up support in Kenema and Bo districts, and in The Gambia. The former Secretary of State for Trade under the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council also said that the concerns were not only his but also “the thousands of other APC party members in Sierra Leone, Gambia, Australia and Holland”. Asked whether he did not think that Koroma was president of the country and not just Temnes or the APC and should therefore appoint people from other ethnic groups, Bangura said the president had the prerogative to appoint anyone, but was quick to add that he should realize that people elected him and those who voted for him should be first considered, adding: “we the Temnes gave him that mandate and must first be considered”. He said that Temnes were displeased even with the outgoing cabinet but decided to give the president some time which he said had elapsed. Mohamed Adikali Bangura was head of the traders’ union in the 1990s and was appointed by the AFRC military junta as Trade minister. He says his father was an activist and a financier of the APC in Kambia district before he died. Asked whether he wanted to be appointed as minister, he stuttered and stammered before admitting that he was prepared to “serve my people” in any capacity including as minister. Politico put through several telephone calls to the APC Secretary General Victor Foh, Assistant Secretary General Frank Kargbo and Public Affairs Secretary Alpha Kanu for their comment. While the Secretary General’s phone was switched off, the others would not answer to their ringing phones. (C) Politico 10/01/13