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A member of the All People’s Congress (APC) diaspora branch has appealed to President Julius Maada Bio to grant clemency and allow former President Ernest Bai Koroma to return home permanently following the death of APC National Chairman Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray.
Adams Bangura, a member of APC-UK and the Diaspora 6th Region, wrote an open letter to President Bio dated June 15, 2026, urging him to lift all restrictions on Koroma so he could attend Mansaray’s burial.
Bangura described Mansaray as a man who served Sierra Leone with distinction as a legislator and minister in Koroma’s administration. He noted the deep brotherhood between Mansaray and the former president.
“I am certain that the former President is devastated by this loss,” Bangura wrote. “And I am equally certain that, if the late Chairman had been granted a final wish, it would have been to have his brother, Ernest Bai Koroma, stand by his graveside and lay him to rest.”
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Bangura appealed to President Bio to exercise constitutional powers to grant clemency, lift all restrictions, and allow Koroma to return home permanently.
“Temper justice with mercy. Let compassion prevail over division. Let statesmanship rise above politics,” he wrote.
Bangura said the act could become a turning point for national reconciliation and urged the President to stand side by side with Koroma at the burial.
“Do it, Sir, not for political gain, but for the soul of our nation,” he wrote.
Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, 75, passed away in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday after a prolonged illness. He had celebrated his 75th birthday just three days earlier, on June 12.
The veteran politician had been receiving medical treatment abroad, including a trip to India in 2025 amid recurring health concerns. Alhaji Foday Yansanneh had been serving as Acting Chairman during Mansaray’s extended stay in London for medical treatment
President Bio previously issued a condolence message acknowledging Mansaray’s service to the nation.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of the National Chairman of the All People’s Congress, Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray. Sierra Leone has lost a respected statesman and a great politician whose contributions to our nation’s democratic journey will never be forgotten,” Bio said
