By Alisious Ligurie Matthew Kongo
Liberty Online TV’s Breakfast Show on Tuesday delved into the deepening leadership crisis within the National Grand Coalition (NGC), drawing contrasting positions from party officials and the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC). Alhaji Kamara of the NGC defended the party’s stance on the controversy, while PPRC’s Lucien Momoh responded, stressing that the Commission had acted within the law and was not taking sides.
NGC’s Position: “The Party Is Still Alive”
Speaking on the program, Kamara accused the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of mishandling the matter. He said a meeting originally convened for financial accountability turned into what he described as “shambling the chairman.” According to him, the party leader should have been granted an audience instead of being suspended.
Kamara also expressed disappointment with the PPRC, arguing that its press release undermined the acting chairman’s role by maintaining Mohamed Koroma as the recognized leader. He claimed that youth members had even written to the PPRC questioning the suspension, only to be left without clear answers.
“It looks like some people want the NGC to die slowly,” Kamara said, while assuring supporters that the party remains strong. He added that NGC would return to its constitution to re-establish independence and avoid being reduced to a “puppet” of the SLPP.
The crisis, he admitted, has also been worsened by broken trust within the party, especially after Dr. Kandeh Yumkella (KKY) signed an alliance with the SLPP. Many members, Kamara said, felt betrayed by the move. “NGC is falling on trust,” he noted, but stressed that the party “will not die down easily.”
*PPRC’s Response: “We Will Never Take Sides”*
Responding to the concerns, PPRC’s Lucien Momoh dismissed claims of bias and clarified the Commission’s role in the dispute. He explained that when Mr. Suma and some youth approached the PPRC with resolutions expelling the chairman, they were advised to wait until the party had a substantive leadership in place.
Momoh stressed that the Commission could not overturn decisions already before the High Court of Sierra Leone. “As long as the matter is in court, we cannot intervene,” he said. He further explained that the court had not dissolved the first executive led by Mohamed Koroma, and therefore that leadership remains legitimate.
“To expel someone has a procedure,” Momoh added. “Let them, as a political party, go to court to change things. We cannot take the initiative on ourselves.”
Finally, this dispute was dated back in November and it has left the NGC in a difficult position. While Kamara and his allies insist on following the constitution to “strike back” and rebuild trust, the PPRC maintains its hands are tied until the courts make a clear ruling.
