The former presidential candidate of the All Peoples Congress in 2018 Dr Samura Kamara has asked if the Sierra Leone constitution has an age limit for presidential candidates, because some people have been saying that he is too old for the position.

Awoko reports that He said some people within the party have been campaigning that he is too old to be president and he should not be in the race.

“I have been asking myself where in the constitution is that age limit and why do people think that age is a problem for me when I am physically fit and very sound and still they try to cry me down about age. President Joe Biden is the current President of the United States and he has been the oldest man to occupy that seat. His sound mind and brave economic policies has changed the trajectory of the United States and his support has been growing by the day.”

He said nobody talks about his age because they know if he was not capable for the job he would not have dared to go there.

Dr Samura Kamara averred that Sierra Leoneans in and out of the country believe in him because of his mental ability and his vision to develop Sierra Leone. He said since he started his tour after the elections in 2018 the people of Sierra Leone have appreciated him for his messages and the respect he carries himself around and they believe that he is the right man to change the current status of the country.

“In the United States, legal requirements for presidential candidates have remained the same since the year Washington accepted the presidency. As directed by the Constitution, a presidential candidate must be a natural born citizen of the United States, a resident for 14 years, and 35 years of age or older. There is nothing like you are too old to be president.”

Dr Samura Kamara noted that he has the experience, the mental strength and the physique to make Sierra Leone a better place and nobody will be able to put him down as there is nothing wrong with his age and it is high time that people change the narrative on delivery and vision for Sierra Leone.

The former presidential candidate pointed to Duke University professors James Chappel and Sari Edelstein, who study the culture of age. In their Washington Post article, the research shows elderly people are more cognitively capable than common prejudices suggest and in some cases have more to offer than their juniors: Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, for example, were effective leaders through their 70s. Dr. Chappel and Dr. Edelstein write:

Rather than contemplate the disqualification of candidates because of their advanced age, we would do well to consider how older candidates might bring a heightened awareness to issues of inequality and discrimination, a wealth of policy expertise, and the adroitness and diplomacy that comes with years of experience in government.

Dr Samura Kamara calls on Sierra Leoneans to look at what he can do for them and not about his age. He said his plans and determination are to win the APC flagbearership and in turn to win the presidency and he is optimistic that the suffering Sierra Leoneans are going through today, he has the ability to turn the economy around because of his wealth of experience over the years in government.