By Alfred Koroma
As part of our profiling of presidential candidates for the June 24 election, we are today looking at the presidential candidate for the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP), Abdulai Dougakoro Saccoh.
He is representing a political party that has contested all post-war presidential and Parliamentary elections without winning. RUFP started as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group that fought the brutal eleven-year war in Sierra Leone from 1991to 2002. The rebel group transformed into a political party now known today as the RUFP after the war.
Represented by Abdulai Dougakoro Saccoh with Alice Katimu Pyne as running mate. Both candidates seem engrossed with revolutionary ideology and optimistic that their party will win June 24 election.
Early Life and education
The RUFP’s presidential candidate was born in Bo, Kakua Chiefdom Southern Region of Sierra Leone. He received early Education in the Ahmadiyya Primary School Bo and continued in Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School. During school days, Saccoh was an active athlete, skilled in scouting, basketball, and field events especially shot-put and discuss.
Career
The RUFP Presidential candidate is a fellow of Gemological Association and Gem Testing Lab of Great Britain. He studied Gemology and Diamond Grading in England. After graduating from his course in England, Saccoh’s dad sent him the USA where he worked until he came to take up the RUFP position.
Abdulai Dougakoro Saccoh is the Chairman of the N’Ko Movement of Sierra Leone, a movement he described as the Keepers and propagators of preserving local languages, advocating for writing and learning with African Alphabets.
He is also the Deputy Chair of another organization dubbed as MANDEN N MAYA BOLON of Sierra Leone, preaching the importance of Ancient Ancestral values, beliefs and religion. Saccoh further leads Sierra Leone for SANUN JARA (Golden Lion), an organization of 14 African Countries.
Revolutionary ideology
The RUFP’s presidential candidate believes in a rule by decree or by revolution. He told Concord Times when their party is elected to power in June, they will continue from where the SLPP-led government stops, but says their governance would be different from the way conventional parties rule. As a revolutionary party he said, they just pass decree to stop what is not in the interest of the suffering masses, and what they as a government don’t want.
RUFP will prioritize the teaching and learning of local languages in the country, Saccoh says, but warns tribalism, regionalism, nepotism and all vices will be a thing of the past under his administration.