Freetown, October 2, 2025 — The opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) has strongly criticized the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP)-led government, accusing it of attempting to “trample on democracy” through proposed electoral and administrative changes.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the APC rejected what it described as the government’s plan to expand the Proportional Representation (PR) system, introduce executive power-sharing, and create new districts without due process.
“This is a brazen attempt by the government to run over our democracy,” the statement read. “These moves are blatant subversions of our Constitution and a dangerous attempt to create a de facto one-party rule in Sierra Leone.”
The party argued that Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution clearly establishes the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system as the primary mode of electing representatives, with PR only applicable in exceptional circumstances such as national crises.
“We are not in a crisis, and constituency boundaries are well laid out,” the APC declared. “Any attempt to permanently replace FPTP with PR is unconstitutional and will be resisted.”
The statement also criticized the outcome of Resolution 78 of the Tripartite Committee, which led to nationwide consultations and a government-organized conference.
According to the APC, “the overwhelming consensus of citizens across all regions was a clear and unambiguous preference for a return to the constituency system. To ignore the will of the people is unacceptable.”
On the issue of proposed executive power-sharing, the opposition described the model as a ploy to entrench SLPP dominance rather than promote national unity.
“This is not a genuine power-sharing model,” the party warned. “It is particularly alarming because it apportions not only parliamentary seats but also executive positions, setting Sierra Leone on a path towards one-party dominance.”
The APC further expressed concern about reports of new districts being created or existing ones divided without public consultation or transparent justification.
“The legitimacy of any administrative change rests on legal justification, demographic and fiscal data, and genuine community input,” the party said. “We will resist any attempt to restructure our national map without the people’s consent.”
Drawing comparisons with Kenya, where power-sharing arrangements once triggered political unrest, the APC cautioned against what it termed a “recipe for chaos.”
“Sierra Leone cannot afford experiments that may lead to instability,” the statement concluded.
