By Edward Dictionary Caulker
The political winds in Sierra Leone are shifting once again, as the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) wraps up its national delegate’s conference with a new executive leadership in place.
The outcome signals a strategic pivot one that favours youth, assertiveness, and political boldness. Names like Moses Mambu, Batilo Songa, and Paran Tarawallie now headline the SLPP’s top echelon, representing a generation unafraid of controversy, radical in tone, and vocal in purpose.
Yet beneath the vibrant surface lies a glaring oversight: gender inclusion. The newly constituted SLPP executive failed to meet the 30% female representation threshold mandated by the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act.
It’s a legal and ethical lapse that calls into question the party’s true commitment to inclusive governance. The Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) is likely to face pressure to hold the SLPP accountable, and by extension, set a precedent for gender equity enforcement across the political landscape.
President Julius Maada Bio, while celebrating the new team, struck a tone that was both ambitious and cautionary. “No party has won elections in Sierra Leone three times in a row. We are going to do it,” he declared, sending a clear signal of his desire to make political history. But he also warned against early campaigning:
“Ar nor gee u baton yet, you don begin run usai you dae go? Let’s focus on delivering for the people of Sierra Leone for the five-year mandate they gave us in 2023.”
With the SLPP now organized and energized, the spotlight turns inevitably to the main opposition—the All People’s Congress (APC). As the APC prepares for its own national delegates conference slated for 2026, the stakes are rising. What kind of leadership will the APC present to the nation? And how will it position itself as a viable alternative to a confident and increasingly assertive SLPP?
Key Questions Facing the APC:
Will the APC embrace youth, or double down on experience and legacy leadership?
The SLPP’s new structure suggests a belief in the vitality and energy of younger political actors. The APC must decide whether to follow suit or distinguish itself by rallying around its older, more established figures.
Will loyalty trump meritocracy?
The APC has a chance to demonstrate maturity in its internal politics. How it navigates questions of succession, intra-party democracy, and leadership transparency will be closely watched.
Can the APC outperform the SLPP in gender representation?
With the ruling party’s failure to meet the GEWE benchmark, the APC has a golden opportunity to lead by example on inclusivity. A diverse executive that reflects Sierra Leone’s gender makeup would be both a political statement and a moral stance.
Interestingly, during the SLPP’s conference, APC Deputy National Chairman Ambassador Osman Foday Yansaneh delivered remarks that struck a tone of bipartisan maturity:
“We in the APC recognize that political parties are the backbone of our democracy. It is through cooperation, rather than conflict, that we can move Sierra Leone forward.”
He added “Whoever the SLPP chooses will determine how our democracy will prevail.”
That reflection now becomes a mirror. With the SLPP’s internal direction clear, the burden of proof lies with the APC. How it organizes itself who it promotes, what values it centers, and how seriously it takes national questions like gender equity will not only determine its electoral fortunes but could also set the tone for the future of Sierra Leone’s multiparty democracy.
As the nation marches toward the 2028 general elections, the defining question is no longer just who wins the vote. It’s about how the political process unfolds. Will Sierra Leone’s political parties reflect the country’s aspirations for inclusivity, transparency, and genuine representation? Or will they fall back on familiar patterns of rhetoric without reform?
The answers are not yet written, but the country is watching and listening.
