For seven years, the All People’s Congress (APC) has occupied the benches of opposition politics in Sierra Leone. Once a ruling party that dominated the nation’s governance for over a decade, the APC’s fall in 2018 to the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) was both a shock and a wake-up call. In democratic practice, opposition parties are meant to be watchdogs, offering credible alternatives, exposing government failures, and keeping ruling parties accountable. Yet the question remains: has the APC fulfilled its role as a vibrant opposition over these seven years, or has it been dormant, directionless, and reactive?
Dormancy in the Early Years:
In the immediate aftermath of its 2018 defeat, the APC was weakened, fragmented, and licking its wounds. The party was consumed by internal disputes over leadership, factional rivalries, and legal battles, particularly concerning its 2018 presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara. Instead of reorganizing swiftly and presenting itself as a strong counterforce to the SLPP, the APC spent its early years in opposition entangled in infighting and litigation. This dormancy handed the SLPP a free pass in its formative years of governance. While citizens expected a vibrant opposition to challenge Bio’s excesses, what they saw was an opposition struggling to even organize itself.
The Watchdog Role: The Bulldog Posture:
A credible opposition must bark loudly when the ruling government errs—and, importantly, it must bite when necessary by mobilizing public opinion, legal action, and parliamentary resistance. The APC has barked, but it has rarely bitten. On issues such as the disputed 2023 elections, the crumbling economy, corruption scandals, and the abuse of human rights, the APC has made statements and occasional protests. But these efforts often appeared disjointed, reactive, and lacking in sustained strategy.
For instance, when inflation and food insecurity worsened under the SLPP, the APC rightly raised alarms. Yet, beyond rhetoric, it failed to present a coherent alternative economic policy that could win the confidence of ordinary Sierra Leoneans. Similarly, while the party challenged the credibility of the 2023 elections, it could not capitalize on the widespread discontent to strengthen its legitimacy as the people’s true voice. In short, the APC has been more of a complaining observer than a formidable challenger.
Gains: Survival against the Odds:
To its credit, the APC has not completely collapsed. In fact, its biggest achievement in the past seven years has been survival. Many opposition parties across Africa, after losing power, sink into political irrelevance. The APC, however, has remained a dominant force in Sierra Leone’s politics, largely because of its historical base, grassroots support, and resilient structures in the north and western regions. Despite government pressure, court cases, and internal wrangling, the party has kept itself afloat.
Meanwhile, the APC’s continued popularity among Sierra Leoneans, in particularly the disenchanted majority voters that are frustrated with the SLPP failures, has kept the party alive as a genuine contender for power in 2028. This ability to remain relevant, despite heavy blows, is a significant gain.
Losses: Identity Crisis and Leadership Vacuum:
Yet the APC’s survival does not mask its many losses. Chief among them is its identity crisis. The party has not been able to redefine itself in opposition. Is it a progressive force offering new solutions, or is it merely waiting for SLPP to collapse so it can return to power by default? This lack of ideological clarity has left many Sierra Leoneans skeptical.
The leadership vacuum is another glaring loss. With Ernest Bai Koroma retired from active politics, the APC has struggled to rally around a unifying figure. Dr. Samura Kamara remains influential, but legal entanglements and questions about his ability to inspire national unity have left doubts. Younger politicians within the party have not been adequately empowered to take charge, leaving the APC looking like a party trapped in its past, rather than one prepared for the future.
Failure to Play Opposition Role Properly:
An effective opposition does not only criticize; it provides alternatives. Over the past seven years, the APC has rarely articulated a detailed vision of how it would govern differently from the SLPP. On education, the party criticizes Free Quality Education but offers no structured policy paper on what reforms it would introduce. On the economy, it condemns the “Feed Salone” failures but lacks a comprehensive blueprint for agricultural transformation. On governance, it points out corruption but has not convincingly reassured Sierra Leoneans that it has cleansed itself of the corruption that tainted its own years in power.
Thus, the APC has largely failed to play its opposition role properly. It has been loud in criticism but weak in alternatives. It has been visible during elections but largely invisible in between. It has mobilized protests but failed to sustain momentum. The result is an opposition that exists more in name than in effective practice.
The Way Forward:
If the APC is to regain power in 2028, it must transform itself over the next few years. First, it must resolve its internal divisions and rally behind a clear, credible, and unifying leadership. Second, it must redefine its identity by presenting itself not as the old APC of yesterday, but as a reformed party that has learned from past mistakes. Third, it must develop detailed alternative policies on education, the economy, governance, and social reforms—policies that resonate with the daily struggles of Sierra Leoneans. Finally, it must strengthen its grassroots mobilization and parliamentary activism to prove it can not only oppose but also govern.
The APC’s seven years in opposition have produced more losses than gains. Yes, the party has survived, and yes, it remains relevant in Sierra Leone’s political arena. But survival is not enough. Its failure to properly play the opposition role has weakened democracy, given the SLPP a freer hand to govern poorly, and denied Sierra Leoneans the alternative leadership they deserve. Unless it reinvents itself, the APC risks being remembered not as a credible watchdog, but as a dormant opposition waiting lazily for power to fall into its lap.
The APC’s report card is therefore mixed—but leaning heavily towards failure. Sierra Leone needs an opposition that is bold, visionary, and proactive. For now, the APC has been too passive, too divided, and too unimaginative. Its seven years in opposition are a warning: unless it transforms, the party may survive, but it will not inspire.