Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) councillors at the Freetown City Council (FCC) have nominated Councillor Ibrahim Gbla as the acting mayor to take over leadership duties from the elected mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, following the ongoing boycott by All People’s Congress (APC) officials.
The move, announced by SLPP figures including party publicity secretary Moses Mambu, aims to “restore functional governance” in the capital after APC councillors, led by Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, withdrew from council activities.
The boycott, which has stalled key operations at the FCC, forms part of a broader APC protest against the government’s handling of the Tripartite Recommendations, particularly the appointment of Edmond Sylvester Alpha as Chairman of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL).
APC leaders argue this violates aspects of the internationally brokered post-2023 election reform agreements.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, who was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in subsequent local polls, has confirmed her participation in the boycott while insisting she remains the legitimate elected mayor. She continues to use her official vehicle and has described the withdrawal as a legitimate exercise of democratic protest rights. Her legal team and APC supporters maintain there is “no vacancy” in the mayoral position and have questioned the legality of appointing an acting mayor in these circumstances.
House Minority Leader Hon. Abdul Kargbo has thrown his weight behind Aki-Sawyerr, publicly supporting her stance that the process lacks proper legal grounding under the Local Government Act.
SLPP officials, however, insist the appointment is lawful. They point to provisions in the Local Government (Amendment) Act 2022, which allow the council to designate one of its members as acting mayor during the “temporary absence or disability” of the substantive mayor.
They argue the prolonged APC boycott has created a governance vacuum that threatens basic service delivery in Freetown, prompting the emergency intervention.
Councillor Gbla, a known SLPP figure within the FCC who has previously clashed with the mayor’s office over issues including alleged corruption and neglect of certain wards, is expected to steer day-to-day council affairs until the substantive mayor resumes full participation or the political impasse is resolved.
The development has heightened tensions in the Freetown City Council, with reports of clashes over presiding powers and presiding authority. Public opinion appears divided: a recent survey by the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) suggested many Sierra Leoneans disapprove of the APC’s governance boycott, viewing it as disruptive to local services.
This latest twist in Freetown’s political drama comes against the backdrop of strained relations between the ruling SLPP and the main opposition APC, with both sides accusing the other of undermining democratic institutions and service delivery in the capital.
