President Ernest Bai Koroma has retained his Vice President, Samuel Sam Sumana as his RUNNING MATE for November's elections, amid fevered speculation that he would be dropped, according to the President's Office.
Sam-Sumana becomes the first person to be retained in that position since the joint-ticket system was introduced in 1996.
Then Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP party chose Dr Albert Joe Demby but dropped him five years later when he decided to go with Solomon Berewa in 2002. In that year – 2002 – Ernest Bai Koroma and his APC party chose Sulaiman Dawda Kamara but the team failed to win.
In 2007, Koroma chose Sam-Sumana whom he has now retained, while Berewa had Momodu Koroma as his running mate with both men out of the SLPP ticket.
Speculation was rife that Koroma would not go with Sam-Sumana because of the many scandals he has been named. They range from a law suit against him in the United States, an undercover TV documentary by the Arab satellite
TV channel Aljazeera in which he appeared to be compromised, and allegations that he took money from some overseas partners to fund the 2007 campaigns. All allegations he has denied.
There had been concerns within the governing All People's Congress party that should he be dropped it could advesely impact the presidential elections results in his swing district home of Kono.
© Politico 2012
