Sierra Leone’s parliamentary majority leader sacked

Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India on October 28, 2015. PHOTO | SAJJAD HUSSAIN | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Ibrahim Bundu was replaced by his deputy in an announcement yesterday by the Speaker, Sheku Dumbuya.
  • Dumbuya said he was acting “on the instruction” of President Ernest Bai Koroma.

FREETOWN, Thursday

Sierra Leone’s parliamentary majority leader has been sacked in the latest episode of a power struggle in the governing All People’s Congress (APC).

Ibrahim Bundu was replaced by his deputy in an announcement yesterday by Speaker Sheku Dumbuya.

Dumbuya said he was acting “on the instruction” of President Ernest Bai Koroma.

The Speaker said the President acted in his capacity as “leader and chairman” of the party and had found that Bundu could no longer be fair in his role as head of the House. Majority Leader in parliament since 2014, Bundu was one of the over a dozen aspirants for the APC’s presidential ticket in next year’s General Election. He has been in parliament since 2002 and as the majority leader, he was the most senior parliamentary official after the Speaker. According to the Speaker, who is also an APC member, the party no longer had confidence in Bundu to serve fairly.

“The leader of the House is not only the leader of APC but of the entire House...There will be no confidence in him as to be fair,” Dumbuya said.

Bundu was one of two presidential aspirants relieved of their positions in the party recently.