Julius Maada Bio at SLPP event few weeks ago in Freetown
By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
The political dynamics in Sierra Leone today expose a troubling truth about how the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) under President Julius Maada Bio has mastered the art of exploiting the divisions within the All People’s Congress. The opposition APC has become a weakened vessel, drifting without a clear sense of direction, while the SLPP carefully plays on its fragilities. Instead of positioning itself as a viable alternative to the ruling party, the APC finds itself entangled in internal disputes, legacy wars, and outdated power structures that continue to give the SLPP leverage. President Bio is actively involved in the disintegration of the APC, using the party’s own hymn book against them.
The debates around the Proportional Representation (PR) system and the First Past the Post voting model have provided fertile ground for the SLPP to advance its political agenda. Many in the APC still do not fully grasp how these electoral changes are being weaponized against them. The PR system was justified under the guise of inclusivity, but in reality, it was a strategic tool to neutralize APC’s strongholds in the north and northwest. The First Past the Post model had traditionally worked in favor of larger opposition parties with concentrated bases of support, but the SLPP saw the threat it posed to their dominance and moved swiftly to replace it with PR, ensuring that fragmented votes in opposition regions would no longer translate into guaranteed seats.
This electoral engineering is only one side of the equation. President Bio’s call for a Government of National Unity and talk of power-sharing initiatives is not born out of goodwill. It is a clever strategy to weaken and silence the APC by inviting them into a political marriage of convenience where their voice will be absorbed, their independence compromised, and their dissent muted. Instead of standing strong as the voice of the people, some APC stalwarts are entertaining the idea of joining such arrangements, ignoring the lessons of history that power-sharing has never benefited a strong opposition in Sierra Leone.
But if the APC’s troubles were only external, the story might have been different. The real tragedy lies within the party itself. The fragments of flag bearer aspirants reveal a party unable to learn from its past mistakes. There are too many individuals who claim the right to lead not because of competence, vision, or commitment to the people, but because of the legacies of their fathers, legacies that are often questionable when examined closely. Others cling to outdated beliefs that leadership belongs to the old wines who have long sat at the helm of the party, recycling themselves in endless circles of influence while younger, dynamic leaders are sidelined. This mentality is stifling the renewal that the APC desperately needs.
The SLPP, under President Bio, sees this confusion and is capitalizing on it. Instead of being forced to answer for its failures such as the worsening economy, rising unemployment, collapsing healthcare, failing education system, and growing disillusionment among the youth, the ruling party is comfortably watching the APC tear itself apart. The opposition has failed to scrutinize the SLPP effectively, failing in its most important duty: to hold the government accountable and push for policies that make the lives of Sierra Leoneans better.
One of the clearest examples of how the SLPP is using APC’s chaos to its advantage is the case of former Vice President Sam Sumana. Many in the APC saw his return as a chance to galvanize the party, rebuild lost trust in Kono, and strengthen the opposition base. But the SLPP has no intention of letting this move play out smoothly. They are not recruiting Sam Sumana; instead, they plan to use the Political Parties Registration Commission to frustrate him. Through endless delays, technicalities, and legal hurdles, they intend to undermine his influence until he is bogged down in the courts. The goal is not just to weaken Sam Sumana but to send a warning to any APC aspirant who might seek to disrupt the SLPP’s carefully calculated strategy.
Yet the APC, rather than anticipating and countering this plan, appears ill-prepared. The leadership vacuum is glaring, and the constant infighting over flag bearer positions leaves the party unable to mount a united front. The SLPP thrives when its opponents are divided. By keeping the APC embroiled in internal squabbles, they are free to dictate the political agenda without real challenge.
The Government of National Unity proposal further complicates matters. For President Bio, this is not about national reconciliation or healing after a divisive election. It is about creating the illusion of inclusivity while consolidating power. Once the APC agrees to step into such an arrangement, it loses its independence and becomes a junior partner in legitimizing SLPP’s governance. This leaves Sierra Leoneans with no effective opposition to speak for their struggles, no independent voice to check the excesses of government, and no alternative vision for the country’s future.
APC’s inability to hold the SLPP accountable has real consequences for ordinary Sierra Leoneans. The rising cost of living, the depreciation of the Leone, the lack of jobs for graduates, and the crumbling infrastructure are issues that affect everyone regardless of political affiliation. Yet the ruling party continues to parade itself as a champion of progress because the opposition is too weak to expose their failures. Instead of asking why rice, fuel, and basic commodities remain unaffordable, APC figures are busy fighting over who should inherit leadership through bloodlines and questionable legacies. Instead of asking why the government cannot fix electricity, water, and education, the APC is consumed with ego battles and lawsuits among its own members.
President Bio has positioned himself and his party as the only organized force in the country, but this is not due to SLPP’s strength. It is because of APC’s disunity and lack of vision. The tragedy for Sierra Leone is that this allows the government to operate unchecked, free to manipulate institutions like the Electoral Commission, the judiciary, and the Political Parties Registration Commission, while the opposition remains distracted.
If the APC continues down this path, it risks permanent irrelevance. The party must wake up and recognize that the SLPP is not simply a rival to be outcompeted at the polls. It is a ruling party that has mastered the use of institutions, electoral systems, and psychological strategies to keep the opposition disorganized. The APC must urgently reform itself, rebuild its structures, and unite around credible leadership chosen not by legacy or age but by merit, vision, and the ability to connect with ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
Sierra Leone cannot afford a democracy where the ruling party enjoys unchecked dominance while the opposition squanders its mandate. The people need a strong voice to challenge the excesses of the government, to demand accountability, and to push for policies that uplift lives. If the APC fails to rise to this challenge, then the disintegration of the party will not just be a tragedy for them, but for the entire nation.