Sierra Leone vice president challenges his sacking

Freetown (AFP) - Sierra Leone leader Ernest Bai Koroma sacked his vice-president and began the search for a new deputy Wednesday but Samuel Sam-Sumana challenged the move as "unlawful" and said he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

In a statement to the nation broadcast on radio overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, Koroma announced he was dismissing his vice-president, after a political crisis that threatened the stability of a country still recovering from a ruinous 1991-2002 war.

Sam-Sumana's dismissal comes almost two weeks after he was expelled from the governing All People's Congress (APC) and went into hiding, claiming he was in danger and asking for asylum in the United States.

"I have taken note of the decision of the APC," Koroma said, adding that he was relieving Sam-Sumana "of the duties and from the office of vice president of Sierra Leone with immediate effect".

"The public will recall, and I have also taken note of the fact that... Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana sought asylum from a foreign embassy, demonstrating a willingness to abandon his duties and office as vice president of our beloved republic."

But in a statement Wednesday evening, Sam-Sumana said Koroma "does not have the constitutional right to sack me because I was not appointed by him but elected under the constitution of Sierra Leone."

"There is no law in the constitution that gives him such power. This is unlawful," he added.

"I have instructed my legal team to pursue this matter in the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court."

Koroma said he was in talks with his party to find a replacement for his running mate in successful 2007 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

The search for a new vice president will be seen as particularly significant in light of the fact that Koroma has just two years of his final term left to serve, opening the way for his next deputy to be a favourite to become the country's next leader.

The APC announced on March 6 it had kicked out Sam-Sumana for fomenting violence in his home district of Kono, deceit, fraud and threatening key party officials.

- 'Anti-party activities' -

He denied all charges and fled into hiding -- with aides reporting that he had voiced fears for his safety -- before briefly reappearing at his residence on Monday to speak to reporters.

The action against Sam-Sumana has been presented as part of a wider crackdown on "anti-party activities" which saw expulsions, reprimands and fines for several other senior members.

Religious leaders and diplomats have spoken of a growing rift between Sam-Sumana and Koroma, however, that threatened the stability of Sierra Leone.

Francis Bondo, the chairman of the Kono branch of the APC, called for Sam-Sumana's "immediate resignation" on Tuesday in front of a large delegation of his local members who had travelled en masse to Freetown.

Meanwhile APC secretary-general Osman Yansaneh called on Sam-Sumana to hand over his party membership card and other documents.

Opinion was divided in Freetown on whether Koroma was right to sack Sam-Sumana.

"Yes, he deserves to go and the president acted right. Now the APC can get on with the task of nation building," said textile trader Abu Sillah.

But taxi driver Alimamy Konteh said Sam-Sumana's record of success "should have made the president show a bit of leniency and forgive him".

- 'Outsider' -

Even without Sam-Sumana, the eastern district of Kono remains home to several powerbrokers in the national political arena, including at least two influential ministers and a number of lawmakers.

Political observers told AFP the ruling party would have a fight on its hands to maintain support in the diamond-rich mining area, which has been a key battleground in previous elections and is the family home of the First Lady, Sia Nyama Koroma.

"What is uncertain is whether the new VP will also come from the district or if (the office) will be passed over to somewhere else," said Harold Samuels, a political analyst and academic at the University of Sierra Leone.

"In any case there was a rivalry for the leadership of the Kono people in the national political arena, and this may have contributed to the fall of Sam-Sumana."

A retired diplomat who represented Sierra Leone during Tejan Kabbah's 1996-2007 presidency said on condition of anonymity that the source of the rift between Koroma and his deputy remained a mystery.

But he added: "Sam-Sumana has not been a popular choice for the VP post as he was considered an outsider and many diehards have been (reluctant) to put him in such a top position."