Sierra Leone: Ibrahim Rasin Bundu and the APC Leadership Equation

By Philip Komba In African politics, most successful governments are determined by a strong and innovative Parliamentary leadership. The successes of the Ernest Bai Koroma led APC cannot be written without the mentioning of one man who has been with him through thick and thin. The epistemic bank and reservoir of knowledge when it comes to APC politics; Honorable Bundu as he is fondly called, serves three times elected Member of Parliament representing his people in Constituency 052 Gbinti, Dibia Chiefdom, Port Loko District. He is a crafty, clever, and foresighted leader who successfully traverse the Ernest Bai Koroma led government as Majority Leader and Leader Of Government Business until 2017. His stewardship as Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business helped transformed the country's image at the international space in politics. He is among the few APC politicians back then in 2002 to challenge the powers that be in politics. He successfully secured the Parliamentary seat in Gbinti contesting against his wealthy and famous elder brother in the person of Abass Bundu of the Sierra Leone People's Party. Three times in a row, Honorable Bundu set the records straight that politics is not all about money, but one must be resolute and prepared to bring the necessary changes the people are anticipating. In his strides to ensuring a better APC leadership, leader Bundu open up the political space to creating a better opposition platform that encourages a peaceful atmosphere in the house; putting the country's image at the acme of international politics that got him recognized across the horizon and was appointed as President for the African Caribbean Pacific European Union Parliament (ACP/EU). He is a straight shooter whose ideals about politics are far different from what many hold to mean politics in an African or Sierra Leonean context. He strongly believes in team work and has always been one who encourages people to work with him and not to work for him. After the APC party lost the 2018 elections, Leader Bundu is among the few politicians that struggle with Ernest Bai Koroma since 2007 to 2018 that has never swayed away from the ideologies of the APC. He is a strong supporter of reforms in the party and this he clearly demonstrated during his time with the young and vibrant APC youths that forms the NRM/ARM. He is also among the few senior APC politicians that came out boldly to support reformation in the APC and that have earned him a lot of respect more so, when the reforms were seen impossible. Since he joined the reformation of the APC, he has never been seen or goes contrary to what reforms in the APC stands for. Being a very passionate politician, one who has helped a lot of other comrades in the APC to achieve their political goals, leader Bundu is unarguably a force to reckon with when it comes to real politics in the APC and Sierra Leone by extension. His name stood clean from all the shenanigans ongoing with the current government allegations of corruption of the past regime. It is no doubt he becomes the President of the Sierra Leone Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SALPAC). To have held such high profile position as Leader Of Government Business and Majority Leader of Parliament and left without any corruption allegation is a unique quality that can only be found in politicians like the right Honorable Ibrahim Rasin Bundu. This begs the question; should the APC look any further as to who takes over the administrative affairs of the party, when they already have the requisite qualities and requirements in the person of Honorable Bundu? The qualities found in leader Bundu as a politicians can be found but in limited quantity across Africa. As a political analyst and one who has been around the political space of Sierra Leone, I must state for fact that the APC can make a better party in the years to come when Leader Bundu is at the helm of affairs. I therefore urged the APC would be delegates to look no further ashore, but they have got a leader already in the person of Honorable Ibrahim Rasin Bundu. With him, victory is assured of 2023 June.