Former Vice President, Chief Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana has officially received his 2023 re-registration membership card from the All People’s Congress (APC), reaffirming his return to the party he once served at the highest level.

The presentation of the card was seen by many of his supporters as a symbolic restoration of his political status within the APC.
However, questions are now being raised over his eligibility to contest for the party’s 2028 presidential flagbearer race, despite this recent development.

According to insiders familiar with the APC’s new constitution, adopted during the party’s 2022 National Delegates Conference in Makeni, aspirants for national executive and presidential positions must satisfy specific criteria including a continuous five-year membership before seeking such offices.

Critics argue that Sam-Sumana’s re-admittance into the APC in 2021, after being expelled in 2015 and joining other political movements, may not meet this five-year threshold by the time the 2028 flagbearer race commences.

While the re-registration card affirms his party loyalty from 2023 onward, it does not retroactively cover his years in political wilderness.
Some party elders and legal minds within the APC say the issue is likely to spark internal debates and could end up before the party’s Conflict and Resolution Committee, or even the courts, if not diplomatically resolved.

Supporters of Sam-Sumana maintain that his contribution to the party and the state, especially during the former President Koroma presidency, warrants a reconsideration of his eligibility. Nonetheless, as the 2028 race begins to take shape, the re-registration card may become more of a symbolic gesture than a political green light for his ambitions.

The APC leadership is yet to officially comment on the matter.