APC’s Adams Bangura urges President Bio to grant clemency to Ernest Bai Koroma

By Lamin Bangura

A member of the All People’s Congress (APC) in the United Kingdom diaspora, Adams Bangura, has issued an open letter to His Excellency Brig. (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, appealing for Presidential Clemency to allow former President Ernest Bai Koroma to return to the country.

In the letter dated 15 June 2026 and circulated from London, Bangura described his appeal as a call for “national healing, unity, and reconciliation” following the death of Rt. Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, the National Chairman of the APC.

Mansaray, who previously served as a legislator and minister in the Koroma-led administration, is remembered in the letter as a significant political figure whose service, according to Bangura, contributed to Sierra Leone’s national development and political history.

The writer noted that Mansaray shared a “deep, loyal, and unbroken brotherhood” with former President Koroma, stressing that the late APC Chairman would have wished for Koroma to be present to pay his final respects.

According to the appeal, Bangura urged President Bio to consider exercising constitutional powers to lift restrictions placed on the former President, allowing him to return home not only for the burial, but also to reside permanently in Sierra Leone.

He framed the request as a moral and national duty rather than a political demand, calling on the President to “temper justice with mercy” and to prioritise reconciliation over political division.

“Let compassion prevail over division. Let statesmanship rise above politics,” the letter stated, adding that such a gesture could mark a turning point in Sierra Leone’s political climate.

Bangura further suggested that permitting Koroma’s return and public participation in the burial ceremonies could send a strong message of unity both nationally and internationally, demonstrating that political differences should not override national cohesion.

He concluded by expressing hope that President Bio would consider the appeal in the spirit of national interest and legacy-building, describing the moment as an opportunity for “peace and reconciliation” in Sierra Leone’s political landscape.

For ease of reference, please see the letter written by Adams Bangura.

 

15 June 2026

London, United Kingdom

AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY BRIG. (RTD.) JULIUS MAADA BIO

President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Fountain of Honour and Custodian of National Unity

Your Excellency,

Beyond Politics: A National Appeal for Unity, Healing, and Presidential Clemency

To Allow Former President Ernest Bai Koroma to Return Home and Lay to Rest His Brother and Comrade, the Late Chairman, Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray

Your Excellency,

With the deepest respect for your high office, I write today on behalf of countless Sierra Leoneans, both at home and across the diaspora, who yearn for a moment of national healing. I write not only as a patriotic citizen, but also as a member of the All People’s Congress (APC), compelled by conscience to make this solemn appeal.

Today, our nation mourns the passing of Rt. Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, National Chairman of the APC, a man who served Sierra Leone with distinction as a legislator and as a minister in the administration of former President Ernest Bai Koroma. His contributions to our country are woven into the fabric of our national story.

I also acknowledge Your Excellency’s initial message of condolence, recognising Chairman Mansaray’s service to the nation. We are grateful, Sir.

Behind his public service stood a brotherhood, deep, loyal, and unbroken, between him and former President Ernest Bai Koroma. Your Excellency, you know as well as anyone that bonds forged in leadership, struggle, and service are bonds of the heart. I am certain that the former President is devastated by this loss. And I am equally certain that, if the late Chairman had been granted a final wish, it would have been to have his brother, Ernest Bai Koroma, stand by his graveside and lay him to rest.

Yet today, that possibility rests in the hands of one man alone, you, Your Excellency. As Fountain of Honour and custodian of our national unity, only you can make this moment of reconciliation possible.

It is in this spirit that I humbly appeal to you to exercise the constitutional powers vested in your office to grant clemency, lift all restrictions, and allow former President Ernest Bai Koroma to return home permanently—not only to bury his brother, but to live out his retirement in peace.

Your Excellency, I recognise the weight of this request. But I also recognise your lifelong commitment to Sierra Leone, a commitment for which you once risked your life. I appeal to that same patriotism, that same courage, and that same sense of national duty. Temper justice with mercy. Let compassion prevail over division. Let statesmanship rise above politics.

Do this, Sir, not for political gain, but for the soul of our nation. Do it because both you and former President Koroma have been entrusted with the rare honour of leading Sierra Leone. History remembers such moments—moments when leaders choose unity over rivalry, healing over bitterness, and legacy over conflict.

Your Excellency, I am no prophet, but I believe this act could become a turning point, an icebreaker that ushers in a new era of peace and reconciliation. Years from now, it may be remembered as one of your most enduring national legacies.

Let us not wait for tragedy to force our hands. Let us not allow a former Head of State to return only under the shadow of sorrow. He served this nation in his own way; he deserves the dignity of returning home while he still lives.

And finally, Your Excellency, imagine the message it would send to the world, and to future generations, if you were to stand side by side with former President Koroma at the burial of Chairman Minkailu Mansaray. It would be a powerful reminder that, despite our political differences, the interests of Sierra Leone must always come first.

With profound respect for your office and unwavering hope in your leadership,

I remain,

 

Adams Bangura

Member, APC‑UK

Diaspora 6th Region