Ahmed Farah Kargbo, a seasoned banker and development expert of decades of working experience both in Sierra Leone and abroad, has weighed in the current debate about who becomes the next APC party flag bearer come 2023.

In justifying his case, Farah cited former president Ernest Koroma who ran a successful campaign against the SLPP in both 2002 and 2007 without any skeleton in his cupboard. Adding that, Ernest wasn’t part and parcel of both the Siaka Stevens and Momoh’s administration and therefore it was difficult for the SLPP to bring up any corruption allegations against him. Stressing that, if he had had any dirt associated to his name, he shouldn’t have made it to the presidency.

Another key aspects of Ernest Koroma’s qualities he highlighted were his youthfulness, charism, handsomeness, likability at first sight, appealing not only to his APC party supporters but across the country. Financially stable before entering politics, an accomplished entrepreneur who wasn’t an old school traditional politician.

Therefore, he warned, any flag bearer who had served under the past Ernest Koroma’s administration and has his or her name in the COI, or have a pending appeal case at the appeals court should step aside because, there’s no way that person will escape the guillotine of the SLPP.

He called on the party to go on a soul searching campaign by looking outside the box and critically look for a candidate with an untainted and corrupt free record and elect that person as their flag bearer if only they mean business in 2023.

He said the APC has a huge reservoir of members who are capable of taking the party to victory if only they are given the opportunity to lead the party.

He further advised the party to think outside the box and not make any deadly attempt to fill in any candidate who has been implicated in COI, ACC or Appeals Court because that candidate will be petitioned on the eleventh hour to the 2023 election thereby paving the way for a landslide victory for incumbent president Julius Maada Bio to return to state house for a second term.