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Presidential Spokesman Alpha Kanu once marshalled money and manpower to elect Ernest Bai Koroma. Now he serves the man who replaced him.
Kanu’s political arc from Koroma’s most trusted operative to a senior official in the rival Sierra Leone People’s Party administration traces back to a single decision in 2017 that Kanu says ended his own presidential hopes, according to a video circulating on Facebook.
Kanu claims Koroma “terminated” his ambition to become President of Sierra Leone, despite Kanu having been one of the former leader’s staunchest supporters and an open advocate for a third term for Koroma. The remarks could not be independently verified. Koroma’s office has not issued a public response.
The record shows the rupture was years in the making. Kanu served in multiple cabinet roles during Koroma’s 11-year presidency, including Minister of Presidential and Public Affairs, Minister of Mines and Natural Resources, and Minister of Information and Communication. He was widely regarded as one of Koroma’s closest political advisors.
In 2016, Kanu became the first member of Koroma’s inner circle to publicly declare his intention to run for President in 2018, resigning from public office to pursue the APC candidacy. He was one of 28 aspirants for the party’s flagbearership.
Koroma, as APC leader and chairman, handpicked then-Foreign Minister Samura Kamara as the party’s presidential flagbearer in October 2017. Kanu later said his relationship with most APC members became strained after he opted to run for the party’s presidential candidacy. He was removed from his position as National Publicity Secretary of the APC Executive — the only executive member to lose his post after the selection.
During Koroma’s presidency, Kanu had been among the loudest defenders of the former leader. He publicly praised Koroma as one of Sierra Leone’s three greatest leaders, alongside Sir Milton Margai and President Siaka Stevens. He also defended Koroma against calls for a third term, telling the BBC in 2016 that while Koroma had never said he wanted to go beyond a second term, Sierra Leoneans had a “constitutional right” to express themselves.
Kanu formally resigned from the APC in April 2023 after more than 60 years of association with the party. In his resignation letter, he wrote that the party’s top hierarchy had made him feel unwelcome in deliberations regarding its management.
He later joined the SLPP administration under President Julius Maada Bio, serving as Resident Minister for the North-West Region before his current appointment as Presidential Spokesman.
Despite their political divergence, Kanu has consistently maintained that his personal regard for Koroma remains intact. In July 2026, he described Koroma as “my friend” and “my brother” and said their family ties would never die. Kanu did not travel to Nigeria to visit Koroma during his exile, citing financial constraints.
