TheCable

Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone, has sacked Samuel Sam-Sumanam, his vice- president, for seeking asylum at the United States embassy in Freetown.

Sam-Sumana had requested asylum at the embassy after soldiers surrounded his residence following his expulsion from the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) last week.

His dismissal had stirred confusion, as the country’s constitution stipulates the vote of two-thirds of the parliament for such decision to be taken.

“I have taken note of the decision of the APC,” AFP quoted Koroma as saying in a statement.

“The public will recall, and I have also taken note of the fact that 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.

“Sam-Sumana has been relieved of his duties and from the office of vice president of Sierra Leone with immediate effect.”

The president said he was in talks with his party to “shortly” find a replacement for Sam-Sumana, his running mate in his successful 2007 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

Religious leaders have warned that the “strained relationship” between the Sam-Sumana and Koroma threatened the stability of a country still recovering from its ruinous 1991-2002 civil war.

“We are calling on the authorities of the nation to tread cautiously bearing in mind that the country cannot afford to go back to those dark days of our recent past and that stability and security of the state are of prime importance,” the council of churches in Sierra Leone said last week.

Sam-Sumana had earlier rejected calls to resign and denied the allegations that he lied about his academic credentials and religious belief.

He also refuted the allegation that he created a rival political movement and was responsible for the outbreak of violence in Kono, his home region in eastern Sierra Leone.

Last month, he put himself in quarantine for 21 days after one of his bodyguards died of the Ebola virus, becoming the country’s first senior government official to go into voluntary quarantine.