Former Minister under the All Peoples Congress (APC), Alhaji Alpha Khan has today joined the campaign team of the ruling Sierra Leones Peoples Party (SLPP) ahead of the by-election in Koya Chiefdom, Port Loko district on Saturday.

The former APC minister was part of SLPP rally along with the First Lady, Fatima Bio and other party members and officials.

Alpha Khan was recently appointed as the Resident Minister of the Northwest Region by President Julius Maada Bio in a bid to get a grip at the strong hold of the main opposition APC ahead of next year’s election.

The former minister and adviser to former president, Ernest Bai Koroma, has branded himself as AK11 as he plans to be President Bio’s strong wing man in the region, relinquishing the Apprentice title he used to carry during APC rule.

During President Bio Visit to Koya Chiefdom last month, Alpha Khan asserted that the SLPP is the perfect political party for the people of Sierra Leone, revealing that the reason why he joined the SLPP Government was to be part of the ongoing process of taking development to the people of Sierra Leone.

Despite campaigning for the SLPP, the former presidential aspirant of the APC said that he is still a legitimate member of the party and went on to challenge any member of the party to try to kick him out.

During their campaign at Koya Chiefdom, the Secretary General of the APC, Osman Foday Yansanneh stated that Alpha Khan will be expelled from the APC if he campaign for the SLPP or any other party apart from the APC.

According to him, Alpha Khan is still a member of The APC, but they will cut him off if he goes to Koya and campaign for the SLPP ahead of the by-election.

Constituency 073, was left vacant by the main opposition All People’s Congress member of parliament Hon. Ahmed Samba Turay, who died early January, and is considered as the most crucial of the two contested by-election constituencies.

The three candidates contesting the by-election in Constituency 073 are – Issa Oye Koroma of APC, People’s Democratic Party’s Isatu Kamara, and Abdul Karim Kanu of SLPP.