By Sahr Ibrahim Komba
Since its electoral defeat in 2018, the All People’s Congress (APC) has not merely been out of office; it has appeared out of sync with itself and the political moment.
To say the party “got it wrong” would be too simple. What Sierra Leone has witnessed over the past several years is not a single blunder, but a succession of political, structural and strategic decisions that have steadily diminished the APC’s strength; both as a former ruling party and as an opposition seeking to regain public trust.
When the APC lost power to the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in 2018, many expected a period of reflection and renewal.
Instead, the years that followed were marked by visible internal divisions. Leadership disputes spilled into the public arena. Tensions between the old guard and reform-minded members created uncertainty about the party’s direction. Court interventions in party affairs only reinforced the perception of instability.
A divided house struggles to challenge a united opponent. For a significant period, the APC appeared more focused on resolving internal battles than presenting a coherent national alternative.
Electoral defeat can be a moment of rebirth. But rebirth requires honesty. The APC struggled to convincingly address governance concerns associated with its previous administration. It did not clearly distance itself from corruption allegations that had eroded public confidence. Nor did it articulate a bold new vision capable of persuading voters that it had changed.
Voters rarely return a party to power if it appears unchanged after rejection. Politics demands reinvention; not resistance to introspection.
The 2023 presidential election marked a defining moment. When the Electoral Commission declared Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP winner, the APC rejected the results. Many supporters anticipated a constitutional challenge at the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone. However, the party did not file a petition within the legally mandated timeframe.
That decision shifted the protest from the courtroom to the political arena. By not pursuing the formal legal route, the APC relinquished the most structured institutional pathway to contest the results. For supporters, it was an act of defiance. For neutral observers, it raised questions about strategy and credibility.
In politics, institutions matter. When they are not utilized, arguments risk losing weight.
The party’s initial refusal to fully participate in Parliament after the 2023 elections further complicated its position. While boycotts can energize core supporters, they also reduce influence. Representation for APC voters diminished. Legislative scrutiny weakened. Governance continued but without their full participation.
Politics ultimately rewards presence, not absence.
When the party later returned to Parliament, the shift from total rejection to partial engagement created confusion. Was it resistance? Was it pragmatism? The oscillation blurred the message and weakened clarity.
Even before 2023, strategic decisions had shaped the party’s disadvantage. The APC’s stance on the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census proved consequential. By distancing itself from the process, the party effectively relinquished influence over data that would later shape constituency boundaries and electoral dynamics.
In modern politics, data is power. Stepping away from that process limited the party’s leverage when electoral structures were later debated.
Internally, the rise of the National Reformation Movement (NRM) exposed deeper tensions. The NRM called for transparency, constitutional adherence and grassroots empowerment within the APC demands that resonated with many members.
But rather than ushering in managed reform, the process became contentious. Court cases, suspensions and factional rivalries followed. What could have been renewal instead deepened fragmentation.
A party wrestling with itself cannot convincingly present stability to the nation.
In the absence of disciplined messaging, informal political commentators gained prominence among APC supporters. Some adopted combative and inflammatory rhetoric that often dominated public discourse. Instead of setting firm boundaries and clarifying official positions, sections of the party appeared reluctant to distance themselves from these voices.
Silence, in such moments, can be interpreted as endorsement.
The result was blurred communication, inconsistent messaging and reputational risk. Opposition politics is not only about mobilizing supporters it is about persuading undecided citizens. That requires coherence, credibility and message control.
Recurring walkouts from Parliament, including during critical national processes, further reduced the party’s leverage. While framed as protest, these actions removed the APC from decision-making spaces at key moments.
A striking example was during the approval of new Electoral Commission leadership. By disengaging, the party forfeited an opportunity to influence the very institution that governs electoral competition.
Opposition politics is not merely symbolic resistance. It is sustained engagement within institutions.
Taken together, several decisions have shaped the APC’s current position:
- Not pursuing a court challenge after the 2023 election weakened its legal standing.
- Partial or non-participation in governance reduced institutional influence.
- Distancing from the census limited structural leverage.
- Internal divisions fractured unity.
- Tolerance of inflammatory external voices blurred message discipline.
- Repeated walkouts diminished relevance in key decision-making processes.
Individually, each action may have been defensible. Collectively, they reveal a pattern of strategic miscalculation.
The APC now stands at a crossroads. Its challenge is not simply to oppose the SLPP, but to redefine its role within Sierra Leone’s democratic landscape.
That will require more than rhetoric. It will demand internal cohesion, disciplined communication, strategic clarity and renewed commitment to institutional engagement.
Political parties rarely lose relevance overnight. They lose it gradually through division, hesitation and failure to adapt. The APC’s journey since 2018 is not only a story of losing power. It is a lesson in the complexities of operating without it.
Whether the party can transform that lesson into renewal remains one of the defining political questions of our time.
