March 14, 2018 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
C4C Presidential Candidate Chief Sam Sumana (photo credit Kelifala Janneh)
The official spokesperson for the presidential candidate of the Coalition for Change (C4C), Lawrence Coker, has vehemently debunked a publication in a local newspapers that Chief Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana has thrown his support for Dr. Samura Kamara, presidential aspirant for the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC), should there be a run-off.
Speaking to Concord Times in a telephone interview, Coker, who introduced himself as official spokesperson for Chief Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana, said the publication has ‘zero truth, a total fabrication and figment of the imagination of the editorial team of Standard Times newspaper.’
He revealed that the party would seek redress and retraction of the publication, with the same prominence as the one on Tuesday, 13th March.
He said Chief Alhaji Sam-Sumana was currently focused on what he referred to as the ‘three Rs’ – recount of ballots in some of the polling centres, re-run of the entire elections, thus hinting that there were irregularities, and run-off if no one party emerges as winner.
He claimed that in Constituency 117 in the Western Area Urban, the face of their presidential candidate Chief Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana was not on the ballot paper, a claim he said was enough for the National Electoral Commission to invalidate the entire process.
He further claimed that in Constituency 123, also in the Western Area Urban, details of their aspirant for Member of Parliament, Olu Johnson, was invisible on the ballot paper and that similar incidents took place in Bonthe District.
He said the party would soon issue an official press release to debunk the publication in the said local newspaper.
Late Tuesday evening, the C4C party circulated the press release in which they reiterated the earlier claim of Coker.
“The Coalition for Change wishes to inform the general public that Chief Alhajie Sam-Sumana has neither offered support to any political party in Sierra Leone nor has he endorsed a flagbearer of any political party.”
The party advised their members to treat the publication in Standard Times with “contempt” describing it as “a fabrication.”
“The editor of the Standard Times newspaper has been advised accordingly for a retraction that is given the same prominence as the original story,” said the release.
“Any other story purporting that chief alhajie Samuel sam suman has supported any party order than the C4C is fake and designed to impact his personality and his supporters negatively,” the release adds.
With the March 7 presidential election set to be decided in a run-off between the candidate of the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the ruling APC on Tuesday, March 27, both parties will be eager to get Chief Sam-Sumana and his party on their side.
On Monday, Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh went on a charm offensive by stating in a press conference that the sacked vice president was still considered as ‘a friend’.
However, during the presidential debate on 15th January at Hotel Bintumani, Chief Sum-Sumana didn’t hug the APC presidential candidate as he did all the other aspirants present, instead both men only exchanged a cold handshake.