By Emiola Osifeso
Following his earlier conversation with Spear News Nigeria, All People’s Congress (APC) presidential hopeful Dr. Ibrahim Bangura has shed further light on his engagements within the party and his positioning among delegates and stakeholders ahead of the party’s National Delegates Conference.
Speaking with Spear News, Dr. Bangura emphasized that his relationship-building within the APC has been intentional and deep-rooted, noting that his team is currently active across all districts of Sierra Leone.
“We’ve done well so far,” he said. “Politics is not complacent; you work hard and take nothing for granted. I understand the party, I have good knowledge, I know the actors and I’ve been engaging with them. We have a very good team, a team that consists of people with deep roots in the party and a deep understanding of it. These people work across all the districts of the country; they engage with women and young people. We will continue to press on every day until the national delegates conference. We want to get a decisive victory.”
Dr. Bangura, however, stressed that whoever emerges as the APC flag bearer must be capable of bringing the entire party together, not ruling in isolation.
He stated, “Whoever emerges as the flag bearer of the APC should be able to bring the party together. The victory should not be for one person alone, but for everyone. Victory is not supposed to isolate or marginalize those who may not get the required votes to be declared the winner.”
He reminded aspirants and party leaders that how they relate with opponents during the internal process will determine whether the party becomes stronger or weakened after the convention.
“That’s why I always say for me the process is as important as the outcome,” he added. “Lots of respect, magnanimity, open your arms and embrace those that you compete with because if the competition is not healthy, it leads to a stage where people reject you at the end. How you approach, respect, and relate with them will say a lot about you as a person and also the kind of leadership you intend to provide.”
When asked how he plans to unify the party practically if given the mandate, Dr. Bangura said his model is anchored on inclusivity, participation, and a shared ownership party culture.
“As I said earlier, [it’s] an inclusive, participatory, intersectional approach. Everybody on board. One for all, all for one. Everybody should be respected, involved, and we will have diverse views and perspectives on issues but at the end of the day, we all want the best for the party,” he told Spear News.
He continued, “I continue to engage most stakeholders, reach out to those that I’m not very familiar with and also we’ve couched our campaign on the mantra of heal, unite and build. For us, it’s about bringing the party and eventually the country together.”
Dr. Bangura also pointed to Sierra Leone’s present social and political climate divisions, ethno-regional sentiments, and distrust, insisting that a united APC will be better positioned to win the 2028 elections and govern with legitimacy.
“We have a country that is facing its own challenges in terms of political divisions, ethno-regional divides, all of these kinds of things,” he said. “The way the APC will position itself by coming together to a clear vision will help to get a better approach for 2028 elections and win, so everybody on board. By the time we come out of the convention, we should be able to rally behind the leader that will emerge.”
Dr. Bangura’s comments reflect his consistent posture as peaceful, inclusive, and emphasising unity over rivalry, a stance that continues to shape his internal engagements as the APC approaches a critical election cycle.
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