Members of Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) in the United Kingdom are expected to gather in London on Nov. 21 as party member Leah Fatmatta Suma formally announces her intention to contest for the position of National Organizing Secretary ahead of the 2028 general election.
The event will take place at Crawford Tanats Hall on Denmark Road, where APC supporters in the diaspora are set to endorse Suma’s bid as the party begins early preparations for its next electoral campaign.
Suma, an international consultant based in the UK, has been active in the APC since 2012 and says she hopes to use her experience to strengthen the party’s organizational structures. Speaking recently on Wi Yard Online TV, she said she aims to “formidably organize the party through its structures” and improve on shortcomings identified in the run-up to the 2023 polls.
The UK declaration is expected to be the first in a series of political engagements. Suma plans to travel to Sierra Leone to meet party members and outline her proposals for improving coordination, training and support for APC grassroots networks ahead of 2028.
She said she intends to prioritise internal cohesion and logistical readiness, including strengthening constituency and polling station committees and improving communications systems to reduce irregularities on election day. She added that she would focus on timely resource mobilization and distribution, citing her experience in fundraising for the APC in the UK.
Suma previously led the party’s tally unit in Kambia during the 2012 elections and has contributed to party conventions and manifesto development in 2013, 2017 and 2023. During the 2023 election period, she worked at the APC’s national tally centre in Freetown. She later left the country following violence at the party headquarters that resulted in the death of a party member.
In 2015, Suma served on former President Ernest Bai Koroma’s Presidential Delivery Team as National District Coordinator, working with local chiefs, district councils and government ministries on service delivery initiatives.
APC officials in the diaspora say Suma’s experience in national coordination and international networks could benefit the party as it prepares for the next national election.
By Charles Timbo
