By Richmond B. Tholley
In a jam-packed meeting inside the All People’s Congress party office in the northern town of Magburaka on Saturday, August 24, 2024, Hon. Aaron Arun Koroma, a current lawmaker and senior member of the main opposition from Tonkolili District, warned his comrades to respect the laws and structures of the party.
The erudite politician was speaking during the official launching of membership registration organized by the Party District Executive in Tonkolili District. According to Hon. Koroma, the party leadership has called for membership registration and verification, and every APC member and supporter must ensure he respects that call. Membership registration, he said, is not only lawful, but it’s also a duty and responsibly every bona fide member of the party must treat with seriousness.
Contrary to rumors filtering around, especially on social media, the senior lawmaker said the leadership of the party has fought tirelessly for democratic reforms in the country to the extent they have been beaten and attacked by security forces under the command of the ruling party.
“How can bloggers who sit in the diaspora just wake up overnight and tell us we’re doing a sellout and you believe them?” the APC MP asked.
One of the problems, he said, is because the party grassroots listened to the bloggers, especially those that are spreading misleading information.
As a member of a political party, it’s important you get the right information from the leadership of the party instead of outsiders who only base whatever they say on rumors, he stated.
As an opposition politician, Hon Koroma said he is qualified to be a minister and wants to be one in the future.
“But that can only happen when my party is in power,” he opines.
Therefore, he stated that there’s no reason he can betray the APC for selfish and personal gain. He informed all those present that the leadership of the party is going ahead with the membership registration and verification, and he called on members to cooperate.
It could be recalled that several unresolved issues raised by a section of the party membership are deterring the party’s ongoing membership registration. Scores of the party membership are of the opinion that a membership registration at the moment is useless since the leadership of the party could not ensure that the party grassroots get what they called electoral justice. For many in the APC, the last general elections were stolen by the current President Julius Maada Bio, and they have been calling on the leadership to ensure there’s electoral justice.
Contrary to that assertion, Hon. Aaron Koroma emphasized the need for the APC membership, especially the grassroots, to treat the issue of membership registration with seriousness because it would affect them in the future. According to the opposition politician, the registration is an opportunity to change or bring in new party leaders.
By the laws of the party, he said it’s incumbent upon every party member to register and verify. He called on the party membership to cooperate with the leadership.
