As the All Peoples Congress (APC) party approaches the much-anticipated June 2026 National Delegates Convention, the party stands at a critical juncture that will define its ability to go into the pending 2028 general elections as unified political entity and its credibility and commitment to democratic principles. At the heart of this process is the imperative need for constitutional adherence and compliance, ensuring that internal party governance aligns with both the APC’s own constitution and the national legal frameworks including undoubtedly, the 1991 Constitution.
As the party prepares for the 2026 National Delegates Convention (NDC), it is imperative that the party prioritizes strict adherence to its Constitution. The integrity of the party and the democratic process within it hinge on ensuring that constitutional provisions guide every step of the Convention. Anything short of this will undermine internal democracy, erode public trust, and risk legal battles that could destabilize the party ahead of crucial national elections in 2028.
Upholding Fairness and Democratic Integrity:
A political party’s strength lies in its adherence to democratic norms, transparency, and legal obligations. It also lies in the ability of the internal referees and the players to abide strictly by the dictates of their party’s constitution with no surreptitious moves by all the players in particular, those aspiring for the flagbearer ticket to either circumvent the rules or attempt to forcefully bend the rules to suit their whims and caprices.
As one of Sierra Leone’s major political entities, the APC has a responsibility to set a precedent in upholding constitutionalism. Failure to do so risks internal discord, legal challenges, and loss of public trust—elements that could severely impact the party’s standing cohesiveness ahead of the 2028 general elections.
In our view therefore, to avoid a repeat of past mistakes (2017 & 20223), the party leadership must ensure that all aspects of the Convention— from the accreditation of delegates to the election of party official including the flagbearer/leader, adhere strictly to its own constitutional provisions and requirements. This requires transparency, inclusivity, and accountability.
Additionally, we encourage the party to establish independent oversight mechanisms to monitor compliance and address grievances fairly and promptly. These mechanisms should be put in place to prevent undue influence from money politics and ensure that the voices of grassroots members are not overshadowed by elite interests.
Adhering to Party and National Laws:
The APC Constitution of 2022 as amended outlines clear procedures for electing leaders, selecting delegates, and making critical decisions that shape the party’s direction. It is crucial that these processes are followed to the letter, without undue influence, manipulation, or irregularities. Any deviation could lead to legal disputes, potential nullification of leadership decisions, and further fragmentation within the party’s ranks.
Moreover, Sierra Leone’s Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) and the National Constitution provide guidelines that all political parties must follow. The APC must ensure that its convention does not contravene these legal stipulations, thereby avoiding state-imposed sanctions or disqualification of candidates.
Ensuring Transparency and Fairness:
For the APC to emerge from the 2026 Convention as a united and formidable force, it must guarantee that all processes are transparent and inclusive as per its own Constitution. This means allowing fair representation of all party factions, conducting free and fair elections, and preventing any form of internal manipulation. The appointment of neutral oversight bodies and adherence to democratic voting procedures will enhance the legitimacy of the outcomes.
Preventing Internal Conflicts:
Historically, political parties in Sierra Leone have suffered from leadership disputes that arise due to constitutional breaches. The APC must learn from past experiences and take proactive steps to mitigate potential conflicts. Engaging in pre-convention dialogue, allowing for fair competition, and ensuring that grievances are resolved through constitutional mechanisms will help foster unity.
Alarm bells have started ringing to indicate that the party needs to put right certain records earlier before it could cause a storm.
Erstwhile Vice President, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana has straight away sounded the war trumpet that if he is disqualified, he will not take it lightly with the party because according to him, that will tantamount to a blatant violation of his right and an unfair treatment by the party. As far as he is concerned, the disqualification clause in the 2022 APC party Constitution that seeks for a five-year uninterrupted membership of a party member to qualify him or her to be voted into any Executive position does not hold merit on his intention to run for the flagbearer in the coming 2026 National Delegates Convention.
For him and his supporters, he has officially been readmitted into the APC by the party’s second highest body, the National Advisory Council (NAC) since 2019. He is claiming that since then to date, it has taken him five years which is the stipulated Sabbatical period for a member that has been expelled to regain full status.
Therefore, insofar as that authority is concerned he is now duly qualified and as a matter of fact over qualified by the date of the next National Delegates Convention in 2026.
This is a serious matter for the party which it must handle with care and dexterity to avoid disenchantment and disintegration within its grassroots rank and file. The party must come out clear on the issue of Chief Samuel Sam Sumana and all other complex matters hovering over the party ahead of the 2026 Convention.
However, it is an established fact that the party has structures through which Chief Samuel Sam Sumana’s expulsion matter was processed and decision reached. Constitutional Pundits are of the view that it is through those same structures that the former Vice President’s re-admittance should be considered if the APC is to be seen as a truly democratic political party.
This is where the question of constitutional justice comes in the views of political pundits; that you could not have strained to justify an action at one point by going through all procedures, structures and processes and then you try to circumvent those procedures, structures and processes for want of it to satisfy a political interest. Due diligence must be followed stricto-dicto in order to ensure the actual legitimacy that is required.
Sam Sumana’s case was investigated by the party’s Disciplinary Committee; whether the allegations levied against him at the time were false or justified is not relevant in this discuss, and the matter forwarded to the NAC and then to a National Delegates Convention where it was endorsed. So the question is, why not follow the same procedure, structure and processes to guarantee his official reinstatement?
Truth to it, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana is a prodigal son of the APC party. He was accepted back by the NAC in principle; perhaps as a political tactic to destabilize the Coalition for Change (C4C) political party he had joined and contested under as a Presidential Candidate in the 2018 general elections; a move considered by most APC supporters and sympathizers that undermined the chances of the APC party in that elections.
Like he is planning to disrupt the party’s chances for the second time if the party decides to be adherent to constitutional values and principles, so are many other APCians, among them most if not all that are intending to contest for the flagbearer will go the similar way Sam Sumana is contemplating if he is accorded the so-called right to contest for the flagbearer at the 2026 Convention.
This is the crossroads for the APC that it must carefully navigate such that in the end it turns out a win-win situation for the party and indeed the country.
Conclusion:
As the APC prepares for its National Delegates Convention, we urge the APC party to imbibe constitutional compliance which should not be seen as a mere formality but as the backbone of its credibility and future success.
We call on the National Executive to adhere strictly to its internal regulations and national legal frameworks. The APC can reinforce its commitment to democracy, prevent internal disputes, and present itself as a well-organized and principled political entity. Sierra Leoneans deserve political institutions that operate with integrity, and the APC has the opportunity to lead by example.
We at Nightwatch Newspaper respect the intentions of everyone for the flagbearer ticket but we stand for constitutional authority and fair play. Any compromise to its dictates must be on a consensus basis such as not to fragment the party’s support base and such that could present a unified party against the incumbent SLPP whose leader has publicly admitted that he cannot change this country for any better.
We therefore encourage the National Executive to approach this pending brouhaha and a possible explosion of a powder keg that will see the party embroiled in a cacophony of litigations that can be a distraction to its progress moving forward.
We call on the National Executive to have a thorough introspection of all possible fragile matters that could explode and cause an impediment to the party’s chances of winning power from the incumbent SLPP in 2028 by being proactive with candour, tact and reasonability such as would foster cohesion and a united force.
We mean anything that may have the proclivity of derailing a possible victory in the 2028 polls and that without any hesitation must also include the forging of an armistice with Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara.
In view of all of these, we strongly urge the National Executive to ensure free, fair, transparent and inclusive Convention where every qualified candidate is judged not by his tribe or duration in the party, but by his or her character and ability to win the general elections and lead the country out of the present decadent state it is with peace, freedom, equality, unity and prosperity.