With multiple contenders… APC is Under Immense Pressure
With multiple contenders vying for the coveted flagbearer position, the APC is under immense pressure to rebuild its image and present a strong challenge to the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
As Sierra Leone inches closer to the 2028 elections, the internal power struggle within the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party has intensified, exposing deep-seated divisions and raising questions about the party’s ability to present a united front.
However, the ongoing flagbearer race has laid bare internal rifts, with factions rallying behind different candidates, each claiming to be the party’s best hope for reclaiming power.
Instead of fostering healthy competition, the contest has highlighted lingering grievances, unresolved leadership disputes, and a lack of consensus on the party’s vision for the future.
At the heart of the APC’s struggles is the growing influence of factionalism. Key party figures, including regional heavyweights and influential financiers, have thrown their support behind different aspirants, creating rival camps that often work against each other rather than for the party’s collective good. Among the leading contenders are veteran politicians, youthful reformists, and regional power brokers, each representing a distinct ideological and geographical constituency.
This factionalism is not new to the APC, but it has reached a fever pitch in the current race. The tension between traditionalists, who emphasize loyalty to the party’s old guard, and reformists, who seek to modernize the APC and distance it from its controversial past, has deepened mistrust and widened the ideological gap.
Critics argue that the absence of strong, unifying leadership within the APC has exacerbated the flagbearer crisis.
The coming months will determine whether the APC can rise above its current challenges or remain mired in the politics of division, risking its relevance on Sierra Leone’s political stage.
