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Former Special Executive Assistant to former President Ernest Bai Koroma, Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, has offered Le200,000 to anyone who can produce a judgment from either Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court or the ECOWAS Court of Justice explicitly stating that the All People’s Congress (APC) government or former President Koroma violated the 1991 Constitution in removing former Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana in 2015.
Blyden made the challenge in remarks circulating publicly, insisting that no such judgment exists in the specific terms being cited by critics of the former APC administration.
“I will instantly give 200 Million Leones (NLe200,000) to anyone who produces a judgment either at the ECOWAS Court or the Sierra Leone Supreme Court saying APC or President Ernest Bai Koroma violated the 1991 Constitution on how to remove a VP when Chief Sam Sumana was removed in 2015,” she said.
She added that she was confident her money was safe because, in her view, there was no such judgment.
The controversy stems from the 2015 removal of Sam-Sumana as Vice President after his expulsion from the APC. The decision generated significant constitutional and political debate over the powers and procedure involved in removing a sitting vice president.
The matter subsequently reached the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which in 2017 ruled on aspects of Sam-Sumana’s rights, including issues relating to due process and political participation.
However, Blyden argues that the court’s findings should not be interpreted as a direct declaration that the APC government or former President Koroma violated Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution in the specific manner alleged by critics.
Her challenge has therefore renewed public debate over the legal implications of Sam-Sumana’s removal and the distinction between findings concerning human rights and a direct determination of constitutional illegality under Sierra Leonean law.
Blyden has called on anyone who disagrees with her position to produce the specific judgment she is challenging them to present, offering Le200,000 to whoever can provide it.
