By Hassan Osman Kargbo
The main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party had been in back and forth since the ECSL announced President Julius Maada Bio as the winner of the June 24 2023, presidential election. APC had vehemently reject the results and vowed to disassociate themselves from all governance issues until and unless the right thing is done. According to them, there were lots of discrepancies in the election and other Civil Society Organizations noted that the election lack transparency. Fast forward to that we had the Tripartite Committee that looked at the malpractices and other irregularities during the election, but at the end nothing positive came out of it which many say despite all the fight put up by the opposition, they didn’t withstand the pressure to removed president Bio. And it shows that they had given up and president Bio will continue his second term until 2028 before he will constitutional handover.
The APC executive had been saying that the government of President Bio is illegitimate and as a result they boycott governance activities. But, after all these whiles the party give up the fight and they’re now fully participate with this current regime.
The APC deem it necessary to take part in Bio’s governance system than to continue with their boycott in governance. The party has surrendered and they are working with the ruling government.
However, many say president Bio used his cash and might and overpowered the opposition to have his stayed in power which also led to the APC to give up and decided to work with this current regime of president Bio.
Other are saying APC give up because the APC had suffered too much in the hands of this current regime and the oppositions decided to accept his leadership so that the country must move on.
Although many party supporters are against it but the party accept president Bio because they think it’s the best way to go. It was a decision that other party stewards are saying it will hit the party very hard at the end of the day.
And more than a year now since president Bio assumed his second term, it’s high time the party started putting its house in order for the 2028 election. Gradually the 2026 convention is at the corner and say what you may the APC could form the next government if the put their house in order. But, at the moment president Bio is the president of Sierra Leone and until and unless 2028 he is still the president because APC party surrender too easily.
