The leading aspirant for the 2023 presidential flagbearer ticket of the All Peoples Congress (APC), Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara has, in a recent interview on local media called for an extension of the ongoing voter registration exercise and, at the same time, urged the APC to conduct a free, fair and transparent flagbearer election during the party’s forthcoming National Delegates’ Convention (NDC).

Speaking after the conclusion of the first phase of the Voter Registration (VR) exercise last week, the 2018 APC presidential candidate and leading aspirant for the 2023 flagbearer ticket noted that many eligible voters encountered several problems during the first phase of the exercise as, according to him, they found it somewhat challenging to register, especially first-time voters.

He also affirmed that some of the challenges faced by first-time voters had to do with such birth certificates and national identity cards, adding that ECSL is using three colors of birth certificates to identify first-time voters.

He however noted that ECSL has been scrutinizing these documents from first-time voters, as, according to him, most of them are falsified.

The 2018 APC presidential candidate, nevertheless, expressed hope that ECSL will address all the challenges faced during the first phase of the VR exercise and will continue with the second phase of the registration exercise successfully without any further challenges.

He added that the ECSL should not project figures of registered voters but that the Commission should wait for all eligible voters to register before coming out with a definite figure at the end of the entire process.

Dr. Samura Kamara urged all party agents to be vigilant in taking records and stock of the number of citizens that have been registered and also make sure that all the necessary procedures are followed to the letter.

Furthermore, the APC 2023 flagbearer hopeful spoke on his relationship with other flagbearer aspirants of the APC emphasizing that he has a very good personal relationship with all of them According to him, there is nothing more desired than national cohesion and unity within a political party.
Democracy, he stressed, allows for competition and space and that people should not fight each other because of politics, noting that animosity undermines national cohesion and development and also dampens the spirit of foreign investors to come in and invest their resources.

Regarding his relationship with the 21-Man Committee of the APC, he said is cordial and that of President Julius Maada Bio and former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, Dr. Samura Kamara noted that his trust is built on God and the people who follow him, adding that he has a very good longstanding relationship with both the current and former Presidents.
According to him, he had previously worked with President Bio, whom he described as his friend, adding that the current President will indeed describe him as a good friend of his.

“We have no differences regarding anything whatsoever,” he said, adding,

“he recently pledged some money on my behalf at our place of worship and we have also been in touch with each other regarding issues of national interest.”

He concluded that he is a peaceful man and not a personality with an are-avenging spirit, but someone who relies on God’s grace.