Call for opposition APC to avoid disintegration grows

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 22 October 2024:

Sierra Leone’s main opposition APC party is facing one of the darkest moments in its history, following its controversial defeat at the polls in June last year by the incumbent SLPP party, with the party leadership now in a state of paralysis, chaos and indecisiveness about its future.

Supporters of the party are hoping that by the time the next general and presidential elections come around in 2028, the party would have had its convention to elect a new leader and party executives that will steer the ship into calmer waters, ahead of those elections which many are hoping will bring an end to the ruling SLPP’s incompetent, brutal and corrupt grip on power.

But for this change of government to happen, the opposition APC must first of all regain the  confidence and trust of the people of Sierra Leone and the international community, that it is fit and has the competence to govern the country.

This is not going to be easy for the APC, as many in the current leadership are either too old to take the fight to the ruling SLPP, tarnished with allegations of corruption, or lacking the national appeal that would be needed to help win seats across the country in 2028.

Until then, the APC now has to grapple with calls from large swathes of its supporters for electoral justice, re-run of the 2023 elections, or indeed bringing the 2028 elections forward.

The current leadership of the party and its 2023 presidential candidate – Dr Samura Kamara, are being accused by supporters, of failing to stick to their demand for the electoral commission to publish all 2023 polling station  results in accordance with the country’s constitution, instead of entering into what they see as a bogus National Unity and Tripartite Agreement, that is aimed at keeping the ruling SLPP party and President Bio in power.

But there is little or no appetite across the party’s elected members of parliament, to stage a walk-out or passive political resistance, that could pressure the government to publish those polling station results.

Most of the party’s members of parliament are more concerned about the impact such action could have on their personal finances, instead of taking a principled approach in the interest of electoral justice and democracy.

A senior member of the APC – Sylvanus Koroma, popularly known as “What A Man” has recently released audio messages, calling on the APC party membership and supporters, and in particular – members of the second highest body of the party – the National Advisory Council, “to make the decision for all of the APC elected representatives of the June 24, 2023, multi-tier elections to stop participating in the current governance structure until an announcement is made for the date for an early election.”