Out of Prison, at least Kamaraimba has now embraced blogging, keeping his presence online and Sam-Sumana is racing in the APC for something he may never get.

If you see those other guys, tell them they are missing.

Two once-dominant figures in Sierra Leone’s political landscape, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and Charles Francis Margai have grown noticeably silent and largely absent from public view.

As political activity intensifies ahead of the APC National Delegates’ Conference scheduled for August, where the party is expected to select a flag bearer for the 2028 presidential election, campaign banners and other political activities feature many familiar faces, but not Dr. Samura Kamara.

Related News

Samura, the APC’s presidential candidate in both the 2018 and 2023 elections, suffered defeat on both occasions at the hands of President Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP. Since the disputed 2023 elections, Samura has maintained a low profile, staying away from public engagements, party rallies, and visible campaign platforms.

His political rise within the APC was controversial. In 2018, he was handpicked by former President Ernest Bai Koroma as the party’s flag bearer. That method of selection weakened the party unity and alienated key stakeholders.

Samura’s leadership style has also been questioned. Seen as mild-mannered and cautious, he has struggled to energize the party base or manage internal disputes. His speeches have often been described as dull and lacking passion.

Following the work of the Tripartite Committee, established to investigate allegations of electoral irregularities, lack of transparency, and vote manipulation in the June 2023 elections, many APC supporters expected a tougher response from their presidential candidate. Instead, Samura’s acceptance of the committee’s recommendations angered sections of the party, who felt the APC failed to fully capitalize on evidence presented by both local and international observers questioning the credibility of the polls.

Since then, the much-publicized “Electoral Justice” campaign has steadily lost momentum, and Samura himself has remained largely silent on the implementation of the committee’s recommendations.

Charles Francis Margai

Also missing from the political scene is Charles Francis Margai, founder and leader of the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC). Margai rose to prominence after breaking away from the SLPP in 2005 and went on to play a decisive role in the 2007 elections, when he allied with the APC to help Ernest Bai Koroma win the presidency.

Although Margai declined any personal appointment at the time, several senior PMDC members were absorbed into Koroma’s government. By 2012, most of those ministers had been dismissed, straining relations between Margai and Koroma and effectively ending their political alliance.

In the 2018 elections, Margai openly campaigned for regime change, contributing to the APC Samura’s defeat. Few, however, expected him to later accept appointment as Attorney General and Minister of Justice under President Bio, especially given his past public criticisms of Bio’s political record.

Margai was among the first to be appointed and the first to be removed at the beginning of the current SLPP govdernance. He was dismissed only weeks after taking office, becoming the shortest-serving Attorney General in Sierra Leone’s history. Since then, he has largely withdrawn from national political discourse, with little visible activity from the PMDC or its leadership.

At a time when other political figures have reinvented themselves, some even maintaining influence through social media and blogging from prison, the silence surrounding Dr. Samura Kamara and Charles Francis Margai is increasingly conspicuous.

For two men who once shaped alliances, elections, and national debate, their absence now speaks volumes.

If you see them, tell them they are missing.