There comes a moment in the life of every political party when opposition is no longer enough. Criticizing the government, exposing its weaknesses and mobilizing supporters may win applause, but it does not, by itself, win a presidential election. To move from opposition to government, a party must convince an entire nation that it is not merely capable of defeating the incumbent—but capable of governing better.
For Sierra Leone’s All People’s Congress (APC), that is the real challenge ahead of 2028. The question, therefore, is not simply “Can the APC win?” The more important question is: “How will the APC do it?” The answer to each question begins with one word: transformation.
APC must transform itself from a party primarily defined by opposition into a party defined by a credible national alternative. Recent developments have shown why this is urgent. The party has faced internal leadership disputes and court proceedings at the same time that it is preparing for its next major electoral battle. The High Court has recently ordered the completion of APC’s internal delegate elections within 21 days, placing renewed pressure on the party to settle its internal affairs.
That internal house must be put in order first. The APC must first unite before it can think of uniting Sierra Leone.
No political party can credibly promise national unity while fighting itself within.
The first appearance of a future governing APC must therefore be an image of discipline, reconciliation and institutional maturity. Personal ambitions must become secondary to the collective objective. Factions must learn to compete internally without destroying the party externally.
APC needs a leadership-selection process that is transparent, legitimate and accepted by its grassroots. Its eventual flagbearer must not merely be the candidate of one faction, region or personality. He or she must emerge as a candidate capable of speaking to the entire country.
This is particularly important because Sierra Leonean politics has historically been dominated by the APC-SLPP contest, making the ability to build a genuinely national coalition crucial to victory.
APC must now be presenting an alternative government as an opposition to begin building up the confidence of the people that yes, as a political party, it can win and it is willing and able to govern the country as a united entity.
The electorates do not just now vote against something, they essentially vote for something. The APC must therefore develop a detailed governing programme long before the campaign reaches its climax. It must answer ordinary citizens’ questions directly: How will jobs be created? How will food prices be addressed? How will electricity and water supply improve? How will agriculture become commercially productive? How will young people acquire meaningful skills and employment? How will corruption be confronted? How will healthcare and education improve? How will Sierra Leone attract investment without sacrificing national interests?
These questions require more than slogans. They require numbers, timelines, priorities and measurable targets.
A convincing APC manifesto should tell Sierra Leoneans not merely what the party believes, but what it will do in its first 100 days, first year and first five years in office.
The APC must win the arguments before votes are cast to win the election. Opposition politics is often reactive. Government politics must be proactive.
APC must therefore change the nature of its communication. Instead of responding to every government statement, it should establish its own national conversation.
The party should become the voice of solutions.
When government announces a policy, APC should explain what it would do differently. When citizens complain about economic hardship, APC should present an alternative economic strategy. When the government makes a promise, APC should scrutinise it—but also explain what a better promise would look like.
The objective should be simple: by election day, voters should already have a clear picture of what an APC government would look like.
The APC must be bigger than its traditional strongholds winning government requires a national coalition.
APC cannot depend exclusively on traditional geographical loyalties. It must compete seriously in every region, district, community and demographic group.
Women must see themselves in the APC agenda. Young people must see opportunity. Professionals must see competence. Farmers must see productivity. Traders must see economic stability. Civil servants must see institutional respect. First-time voters must see a political movement that understands their generation.
The party must make a deliberate effort to cross ethnic, regional, religious and generational boundaries.
The APC that wins power will not be the APC speaking only to its historical supporters. It will be the APC that persuades people who did not previously intend to vote for APC.
The APC must defend democracy while preparing to Govern. The party’s current disputes over electoral and constitutional matters provide another important test.
APC has challenged the recent parliamentary process surrounding the Constitution Amendment Bill and has taken its objections to the Supreme Court, arguing that constitutional safeguards must be respected.
Whatever one’s political affiliation, this creates an opportunity for APC to demonstrate the kind of democratic culture it intends to practice in government.
Its message should be clear: institutions matter, constitutional rules matter, elections matter, and political opponents are not enemies of the State.
If APC wants Sierra Leoneans to trust it with executive power, it must demonstrate that its commitment to democracy is bigger than its desire to win.
The Campaign must be built on Hope. Fear may mobilize voters temporarily. Anger may energize crowds. But hope builds movements.
APC needs a compelling national story. The story should not simply be “the government has failed.”
It should be: “Sierra Leone can do better—and here is exactly how we will do it.”
That message must be repeated consistently from Freetown to the provinces, from radio stations to social media, from marketplaces to universities, from community meetings to national rallies.
So, How Will APC Do It? It will do it by becoming a different kind of opposition party. It must be the APC party that is internally united and has a credible and accepted flagbearer for the 2028 Presidential election; an APC with a serious economic programme that sheds prospects beyond its traditional bases; a party that will prove to young citizens that it understands their problems; an APC that respects institutions and an APC that campaigns with evidence not insults, and above all, an APC that gives citizens a reason to vote for it rather than merely a reason to vote against a bad government.
The road from opposition to government is therefore not a single dramatic event. It is a chain of victories: victory over internal division, victory in the battle of ideas, victory in public confidence, victory in organisation, and finally victory at the ballot box.
The 2028 contest will not simply ask whether APC can defeat the SLPP. It will ask whether APC has matured sufficiently to convince Sierra Leone that it is ready to govern. That is the real battle.
And if the APC gets its house in order, builds a genuinely national coalition, presents credible solutions and communicates a convincing vision of the future, the transition from opposition to government will no longer look like an impossible dream.
It will look like a carefully constructed political project. The question is no longer whether APC wants power. Every serious political party does.
The question is whether APC can convince Sierra Leone that it deserves it again.