Sam-Sumana’s Dispute with APC: PPRC Clarifies Role as Sam28 Movement Raises Concerns
By: Musa Kamara [Inter Reporter, Epic Radio]
The political saga involving former Vice President Chief Samuel Sam-Sumana and the All People’s Congress (APC) continues to attract public attention, with the Sam28 Movement and the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) offering fresh perspectives on the matter.
Brima Michael Turay, Chief of Staff of the Sam28 Movement, said the APC has failed for years to settle key questions about Sam-Sumana’s membership and rights within the party.
“For the past five years, a political party has still been struggling to determine someone’s eligibility within the party,” Turay said during an appearance on Epic Radio Morning Show. “It is not about what someone fills in; it’s about what the law says.”
Turay emphasized that Sam-Sumana has always been loyal to the APC’s ideology, noting parallels between his experience and that of former President Ernest Bai Koroma, who once left the APC for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP Sobeh) before later returning.
According to Turay, the APC took eight months to respond to Sam-Sumana’s request to rejoin, before eventually reinstating him on September 10, 2020. Yet, he argued that the party’s actions have left the former vice president politically vulnerable.
Sam-Sumana has since filed a formal complaint to the PPRC, highlighting his expulsion and submitting proof of having cleared his backlog of party dues. He has also called on the APC to issue a public statement declaring his 2015 removal from the vice presidency unconstitutional.
Responding to the matter, Lucien Momoh, Director of Training and External Relations at the PPRC, clarified the Commission’s position.
“We should be clear that we didn’t give the APC an ultimatum,” Momoh explained. “We only gave the APC 15 days to respond to Sam-Sumana’s letter after we forwarded it, since Mr. Sumana didn’t copy the APC directly.”
Momoh stressed that the PPRC is not responsible for dictating the APC’s response, adding that the matter can only be resolved if both sides show willingness to engage. “It is not my responsibility to speak on APC’s response; it is APC’s. We have handled matters that are even bigger than this,” he said.
He confirmed that Sam-Sumana had provided receipts showing payment of his outstanding dues and reiterated that the APC was given 14 days to respond to the complaint.
As the dispute unfolds, political observers note that the tensions highlight persistent challenges in the APC’s internal structures, raising questions about inclusivity, unity, and the party’s readiness for future elections.
