The Fall of the Red Giant

By Alpha Amadu Jalloh

As the clock ticks steadily toward 2028, Sierra Leoneans are once again faced with the burden of political déjà vu. The All People’s Congress, APC, a party with an enviable history of nationwide influence and political dominance, appears to be marching full speed toward another avoidable electoral disaster. Not because of rigging. Not because of external forces. But because of the party’s own internal rot, ideological bankruptcy, and catastrophic failure to learn from its past.

The APC is not inherently a loser party. Far from it. It once inspired hope and action across the country. But today, it is an empty shell of what it used to be. Driven more by tribalism, tokenism, and personal ambition than a genuine commitment to national progress. The current structure of the party is akin to a market where loyalty and vision are for sale to the highest bidder.

The leadership of the APC, from the party chairman to many of the flagbearer aspirants and sitting parliamentarians, is disconnected from the realities Sierra Leoneans face daily. The painful truth is that a large portion of the APC’s leadership elite no longer resonates with the people. They are consumed by power games, social media optics, and pocket-deep politics rather than grassroots engagement, service delivery, or intellectual rejuvenation.

The party has now become a magnet for recycled opportunists and smiling political assassins. New-age “vote buyers” such as Ady Macauley, Dr Ibrahim Bangura and Mohamed Kamara, known as Jagaban, Chernor Bah, popularly called Chericoco, and Richard Conteh parade themselves as change agents while offering nothing but cleverly packaged self-interest. Names like Omrie Golley, whose RUF connection remains a moral stain on our country’s conscience, are whispered with excitement in some APC circles. This is a troubling sign that the party has either forgotten or deliberately ignored the wounds of our past.

Kelfala Marah and Osman Timbo have also thrown their hats into the ring. The former has never convincingly shaken off his connection to financial mismanagement and party misdirection during the last APC administration. The latter, whose only credential seems to be his mastery of platitudes and wishful thinking, now harbors presidential ambition. This is not only naïve. It is an insult to the suffering intelligence of the electorate.

But perhaps the biggest betrayal of all is how the party unceremoniously dumped Dr Samura Kamara. While he had his shortcomings, he remained one of the last symbolic links to continuity and diplomatic tact within the APC. Instead of rallying around him to offer a united front, the party elite, especially the old guard like Minkailu Mansaray and Osman Foday Yansaneh, orchestrated a palace coup to silence and isolate him. Their actions reek of greed, entitlement, and desperation to remain relevant.

These are the very same individuals who were custodians of power from 2007 to 2018. An era that saw massive corruption scandals, poor infrastructure planning, and the weakening of institutions. They remain in control of the party machinery not because they are visionaries but because the APC has allowed Ernest Bai Koroma, the former president, to continue remote-controlling the party from his Abuja fortress in Nigeria. The result is a party paralyzed by nostalgia, beholden to one man, and allergic to generational renewal.

What makes this even more damning is that the APC has failed in its constitutional role as an opposition. Rather than holding the ruling SLPP to account, exposing corruption, challenging weak policies, and offering robust alternatives, the APC has often stood by in deafening silence. Or worse, collaborated behind the scenes in exchange for crumbs of protection and privilege. When the SLPP fumbled with the controversial midterm census. When the judiciary was allegedly manipulated. When the Anti-Corruption Commission danced to political drums. When the electoral process was questioned in 2023. The APC lacked the backbone to lead mass action or offer a credible counter-narrative.

Instead, they are more focused on internal court cases, suspensions, expulsions, and backstabbing. The youth wing is divided and riddled with cyber mercenaries who spend more time insulting critics than formulating policy ideas. There is no national outreach. No unifying message. No credible economic roadmap. The only unity that exists is around events that promise appearance fees or photo opportunities with the diaspora elite.

Even more troubling is that APC supporters have failed to learn from the party’s past mistakes. Many are quick to chant slogans, defend incompetence, and amplify tribal sentiments whenever their chosen one is criticized. This refusal to engage in introspection has only deepened the fractures within the base and allowed the SLPP to continue its reign relatively unchallenged. The APC is not fighting to save Sierra Leone. It is fighting over who gets the larger share of a pie they haven’t even earned.

The party is in desperate need of a cleansing. An ideological baptism and a structural overhaul. The likes of Ernest Bai Koroma must step aside completely and allow new, untainted, capable leaders to emerge. There must be a deliberate effort to move away from tribal arithmetic and embrace national unity. The APC must return to the people. Not in SUVs and social media filters, but through town hall meetings, community work, and transparent dialogue.

They must address their failure to support women’s political participation, youth empowerment, and independent voices within the party. The appointment culture, where power is inherited based on loyalty rather than merit, must end. For example, the role of women like Dr Sylvia Blyden, once a promising force in Sierra Leone’s political landscape, was systematically downplayed within the APC despite her intellect and influence. That’s not just shortsightedness. It is political suicide.

The 2028 elections will not be won through WhatsApp messages, flashy endorsements, or recycled campaign songs. They will be won or lost based on trust, integrity, and vision. As of now, the APC has none of the three. They have allowed themselves to become caricatures of a once powerful movement. Unless there is a total reset, APC will not only lose the 2028 elections. They will lose their legitimacy as the alternative voice of the people.

Sierra Leone deserves better. But better does not mean recycling failure and packaging it with new fonts and hashtags. If the APC does not evolve, reform, and reconnect with the suffering masses, then yes. They are bound to lose again. And this time, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

About the Author:

Alpha Amadu Jalloh is the author of Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance and recipient of the 2025 Africa Renaissance Leadership Award. He writes on governance, justice, and citizen empowerment.