Ibrahim Bangura was born and raised in a home with undoubtedly strong links with the All People’s Congress; the first opposition in Africa to defeat a government in elections in 1967. During his early childhood, Ibrahim witnessed his father’s involvement in politics as the Secretary General of the National Youth League of the party. His dad rose through the ranks with multiple positions, including the National Organising Secretary of the party from 2007 to 2009. With his father’s strong political ties in the APC, Ibrahim early on had access to some of the Party’s most influential leaders. Ibrahim’s tutelage at the feet of some of the doyens of the APC at the time, was instructive to his political education and access that was later to become a source of strength. His gentle persona, humility, peacebuilding and reconciliation credentials have always helped him rise above petty squabbles and conflicts to gain the respect and credibility of his comrades in the party.
The military coup that removed the APC from power in 1992, and the consequences for its members, deepened the interest of Ibrahim to contribute to resuscitating the party at a time when it was not fashionable to be APC. With the declaration of a transition to democracy by the military in 1995, Ibrahim worked with the elders in rebuilding the APC. In 1996, he formed the ‘Rising Sun: Children of the APC’ and started recruiting his peers to support the APC. It was this group that he took to the university in 2000, when he was enrolled there. He served as the head of the student’s wing of the party from 2000 to 2004. That APC student group he founded has now transformed into the National Union of APC Students (NUAS); a very vibrant political institution, constitutionally recognised as an organ of the APC, with substantial delegate status at its National Delegates’ Conference. In 2002, he hosted the campaign of Ernest Bai Koroma at the university resulting in the party’s return to power between 2007 to 2018. In 2005, Ibrahim became part of the German Partnership with Africa Initiative of the then President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Prof. Horst Kohler.
This initiative brought together young African and German youths from diverse backgrounds to mentor them for leadership roles in their respective countries. That initiative helped to further shape Ibrahim’s perspectives on politics in a global world, and how the young and older generations could work together to have a progressive world. Through this initiative, Ibrahim built strong international relations within the European Union (EU), gained access to government officials and built partnerships. In 2018, Ibrahim started a campaign to serve as the Secretary General of the party. However, he suspended the campaign when he was asked by the party leadership to mediate a peace process between the party and the National Reformation Movement (NRM), which agitated for constitutionality and more democracy in the APC. On completing the process, he served in the Constitutional Review Committee, which successfully inaugurated a democratic constitution that addressed several issues that had created angst and disquiet among members of the APC. During the 2023 elections, Ibrahim led the committee that developed the 2023 elections strategy and supported the development of the manifesto, working closely with the flag bearers, Dr. Samura Kamara and Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah.