By: Sayoh Kamara
There is widely spread belief that the All People’s Congress (APC) party is poised to win the 2028 elections given the malefaction of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) manifested by the acute widespread poverty and economic mismanagement that are having untold suffering on the people. Even Sierra Leoneans in the predominantly so-called SLPP strongholds in the South are not spared of this economic malaise and bitterness. The party’s characteristic failures at delivering on campaign promises since it came to power in 2017 have all contributed in the despondency in the masses and they are ready, by all indications, to give the SLPP that has failed them and continues to fail them a bloody nose at the polls in 2028.
It is this widespread perspective that puts the APC party at the vantage point of forming the next government following the 2028 elections. But to reach this milestone, the APC party stands at a defining junction to win the 2028 elections if it manages well its own internal rifts by facing head-on its current challenges with methodological strategies that can amicably resolve what have turned into internal tensions that risk undermining its electoral strength and victory in 2028. Chief among these challenges are the prolonged electoral justice campaign led by Dr. Samura Kamara and the fraught reinstatement of Chief Samuel Sam-Sumana, both of which highlight ideological and procedural divides within the party. The issue of personal ego of some candidates positioning themselves as better capable and competent than others to the extent of grossly demeaning their rivals has in itself built a set of uncompromising acrimony that is sure to undermine the desirous need for unity and coherence in the party after its much talked about National Delegates Convention next year.
Dr. Samura Kamara: Rediscovering Democratic Integrity: On June 27, 2025, Dr. Kamara proclaimed: “Electoral Justice is alive. It is real. It is ongoing.” He emphasized that “nothing, not power, not propaganda, not delay, can stand in the way of what is rightfully and peacefully being pursued.” His public address underscored a principled commitment to democratic norms, resonating with citizens disillusioned by the contested June 24, 2023 elections.
Yet, Dr. Kamara also anchored his appeal on unity: “Our unity is our strength. Our discipline is our shield. Our truth is our weapon.” His strategy advocates perseverance in the pursuit of legitimate electoral outcomes, while urging the party to rally cohesively around the broader goal of restoring democratic credibility.
Chief Sam-Sumana: His Return amidst Constitutional Roadblocks: After being welcomed back into the APC in 2020, Chief Sam-Sumana’s political reintegration soon ran into complications. In May 2024, the APC’s Secretary-General Lansana Dumbuya stated unequivocally: “Chief Sam-Sumana is reinstated as a comrade, but he is NEVER QUALIFIED to run under the APC ticket until 2033 if he is still alive.” This declaration triggered strong regional backlash, particularly from Kono District, where many threatened to abandon the APC in 2028 unless Sam-Sumana’s reinstatement was revisited. The resulting impasse underscores a precarious tension: the need to uphold party constitutional procedures against the risk of alienating a significant political constituency.
Chart a Unifying Path: The APC party must navigate these overlapping challenges that are potential powder kegs which could implode from within and cause unnecessary destruction, by facing head-on these nemeses, with a focus on the bigger picture so as to emerge as a cohesive political force. The party must adopt a two-pronged yet integrated strategy that addresses procedural legitimacy and fosters inclusive reconciliation.
Firstly, the National Executive and the party’s moral guarantors must endeavor to escalate the Tripartite Model as a reconciliation template: building on the Tripartite Committee established after the 2023 elections—with representation from APC, SLPP, and international observers, the APC could launch a similar Intra-Party Reconciliation Commission. Such a body, inclusive of youth, regional delegates, and neutral elders, could mediate grievances like those of Sam-Sumana to ensure fair and transparent resolution processes. The issue of electoral justice should be pursued on the basis of ensuring that all recommendations by the Tripartite Committee dealing with electoral fairness, accountability and transparency are properly addressed using the same tripartite model. This will ensure a coordinated and cohesive intra party approach to the 2028 elections as its mechanism to weed out and or stand up against any electoral manipulation intended by the incumbent SLPP.
Secondly, the party must reaffirm its commitment to constitutional integrity with political sensitivity. The party must uphold its constitutional rules, as emphasized by the National Secretary General, Lansana Dumbuya, but, without losing sight of also demonstrating flexibility by offering alternative paths of leadership engagement for affected members. For instance, while Sam-Sumana may be constitutionally barred from 2028 candidacy, the APC, using its internal structures can still be seen as addressing this issue. The party can summon an emergency National Delegates Conference (NDC) to address the simmering lacuna, hinged of the Sam-Sumana issue going through the constitutional requirements of his reinstatement that needs the endorsement of NDC.
Thirdly, the party can craft a clear, inclusive leadership roadmap towards 2028. The current criteria for leadership that is hinged on the new APC Constitution can be rewritten after the NDC would have given the party the fiat to reinstate whosoever may be feeling disqualified by such criteria for another set unequivocal and transparent criteria amplified by a broad stakeholder input. This roadmap must account for electoral justice advocates and returnees like Sam-Sumana in order to promote unity of vision that transcends individual ambitions. Since it is the constitutional mandate of the NDC to elect who becomes the next leader and flagbearer of the party, the fate of all contenders would therefore be in the hands of the delegates and losers must be conditioned to accept its decision.
The party should shift focus to policy renewal and national narratives. This must go beyond personalities. It should be a deliberate return to policy-oriented campaigning that seeks to prioritize economic recovery, youth opportunities, governance reforms, that realigns with the party’s narrative so as to repositioning the APC party on the right side of history as was once declared by Dr. Samura Kamara: “We are on the right side of history.” It is this conviction that should be transformed and deepened in the party’s upcoming campaign manifesto to manifest its shared development agenda so as to rally the masses that is so despondent and frustrated with the status quo to ensure unity of purpose and garner the disparate intra party factions around a common national vision.
The APC party can still extricate itself from being a political party in discordance into one that is fulfilling and ready to contest the 2028 elections as a cohesive and decisive force to win the elections at first ballot. The apparent mass discontent and disappointment felt by majority of Sierra Leoneans across the political divide, and are ready and determined to vote for change, is readily in its favour. They are just waiting. They are waiting to hear and see a confirmed APC party reunification for them to spring into open endorsements and declarations for the party.
Meanwhile, as it is glaring, these internal crossroads present both a threat and an opportunity. The contest between electoral justice and reintegration as exemplified by Kamara and Sam-Sumana, reveals deeper structural and regional tensions. How the party addresses these now will shape its viability in 2028. By coupling constitutional discipline with inclusive reconciliation, and elevating policy coherence over factional rivalry, the APC can transform its current challenges into a foundation for unity and renewed credibility for a resounding victory at the polls come the election in 2028, irrespective of which candidate emerges as flagbearer at its pending 2026 National Delegates Convention.