Sierra Leone Telegraph: 16 October 2018:
The former social welfare and children’s affairs minister in the Koroma led APC government – Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, has rejected a draft report sent to her by the chairman of the nine-man committee, set up by the APC National Advisory Committee (NAC) to investigate the causes of the party’s defeat at the polls last March.
The nine-man committee which is chaired by Dr. Tom Obaleh Kargbo, is to produce a report with recommendations, which the party’s highest administrative organ – the NAC, could implement.
Writing in a letter addressed to the leadership of the APC yesterday – 15th October 2018, Dr Sylvia Blyden (Photo) who is the secretary of the nine-man committee, says that she will not endorse the committee’s draft report.
“I have carefully read the proposed report and I see very serious errors, inconsistencies and assumptive conclusions not based on available facts,” she says.
She states further: “ I cannot and will not endorse this report and I am hereby STRONGLY advising both the National Chairman/Leader of the APC and the National Secretary-General of the APC to not accept any Report purporting to be a 9-Man Committee Report until the grave errors, inconsistencies and non-factual assumptions are corrected within the Report and with an inclusion of references cited as either footnotes or endnotes.”
This is the full text of her letter:
URGENT – DRAFT OF FINAL REPORT OF THE 9-MAN COMMITTEE
The National Advisory Committee (NAC), whilst setting up the 9-Man Committee, clearly instructed for the members to choose from amongst themselves a Secretary and a Chairman.
I am writing in capacity of Secretary to the Committee who NAC is expecting to use academic and research skills to help produce a FACTUALLY-BASED Report (with documented references) that the Committee will be presenting to NAC.
Collation for a Report is important but the most critical aspect is drafting acceptable presentation for which role, a Secretary is expected to ensure the final preparation is factually-based.
Now, I want to state that draft of proposed report was sent to me on the instructions of Ambassador Dr. Tom Obaleh Kargbo, duly elected chairman of the 9-Man Committee, on Saturday 13th October 2018 at 22:09pm in night via Whatsapp.
I have carefully read the proposed report and I see very serious errors, inconsistencies and assumptive conclusions not based on available facts.
This is a Report which is meant to serve the test of time and should be written based on facts that will make generations of APC Comrades, be proud.
I also have a high integrity which makes it very difficult for me to betray the huge respect which I command where it matters most inside the APC; amongst the grassroots supporters.
I know many APC Comrades have the greatest possible confidence in my ability to say the truth – and nothing but the truth – for the good of the APC party hence they have held their peace in anticipation of this report that would have my endorsement.
I cannot and will not endorse this report and I am hereby STRONGLY advising both the National Chairman/Leader of the APC and the National Secretary-General of the APC to not accept any Report purporting to be a 9-Man Committee Report until the grave errors, inconsistencies and non-factual assumptions are corrected within the Report and with an inclusion of references cited as either footnotes or endnotes.
I have already sent an email to Committee members, detailing errors, inconsistencies and non-factual assumptions in the report (which currently lacks cited references).
Given that this first draft was only given to me on Saturday night after 10pm, it is expected that I am still rounding up my review of the proposed draft and I will send a more comprehensive dossier of my concerns in a subsequent correspondence.
Should the National Chairman/Leader and the National Secretary-General go ahead to dismiss my concerns and accept the impugned so-called Report tomorrow Tuesday October 16th 2018 as I have been informed by Ambassador Tom Obaleh, then I will be left with no other option than to release this letter to the general membership of the APC through the various print and electronic media alongside a dossier of my reasons why I am disassociating myself completely from what has been handed over.
The APC made too many grave mistakes over the past two decades.
I will not be a party to the impending grievous mistake of pulling the wool over the eyes of ordinary party members by misrepresenting an impugned report to be a bonafide one.
Some of us have our integrity to maintain and whilst I may have high ambitions, I certainly do not have vaulting ambitions which go above the interest of our great APC party that our ancestors sweated and laboured to build.
If I don’t owe anything in politics to my late father and my late grandfather who both sweated so hard; and toiled and toiled to build APC, I owe it to them and to the other APC ancestors now in the spirit world, to not be a silent party to any attempts to mislead APC party members any further.
I will not be a party to contents of that Report being proposed to be handed over tomorrow. I will vigorously, publicly and most vehemently reject the impugned proposed report.
Yours in the cause of the APC,
signed: Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, OOR – Duly Elected Secretary to the 9-Man Committee
Monday 15th October 2018
TO: Ambassador Dr. Tom Obaleh Kargbo – Chairman, 9-Man Committee of the APC; Captain Emeric Spain Chairman (Protem), 9-Man Committee of the APC; All Other Members of the 9-Man Committee; Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma – National Chairman & Leader, APC; Ambassador Alhaji Dr. Osman Yansaneh – National Secretary-General, APC.
Lest forget about politics, we need to develop our country for the new direction.
With all respect…… I just don’t buy her sincerity because of the
following reasons:
1. What is her take till now of the internal criticism coming up from within the APC Party championed by Dr. Kaloko and the NRM
2. Objectivity has never been her personal strength in journalism. She
is a political cousin of Kabs Kanu of the Cocorioko newspaper
3. As self-acclaimed investigative journalist look at the high table of
corruption she has been dining on; first as Special Executive Assistant
to the former President and then Minister
4. Check her Records, there is more of populism than real Substance!
Dr. Blyden has been and till now a publicity stunt powered by arrogance and narcissism.
It is heartening to read and know that a high integrity member exists within the APC who has the moral courage to challenge ongoing corrosive, debilitating anomalies within national APC Management and Administration being promoted by most entrenched sycophants who may have too many skeletons in various cupboards.
Perhaps it is time for APC to consider encouraging party national leadership by a woman considering that all past and current leaders had been male and woefully disappointing. The leadership of the UK and Ireland Branch within the Diaspora has still not summoned a meeting since the last General Election.