By Unisa Danny Kallon, Columbus, Ohio, USA
The rush by tainted aspirants to clinch the APC flagbearer position seems less like a call to service and more like a bargaining chip.
Candidates with blemished pasts now present themselves as saviours of democracy, cloaked in rehearsed rhetoric and lofty speeches. Their sudden passion for reform, transparency, and patriotism rings no meaning to voters.
For some, the flagbearer title appears to offer political immunity and relevance: not a chance to lead, but to posture in the glow of campaign spotlights. It’s a charade that risks turning public cynicism into outright apathy.
Consequently, as Sierra Leone enters another decisive electoral chapter, the All People’s Congress (APC) faces a critical imperative: electing a flagbearer untainted by corruption, free of litigation, and unsullied by affiliations with the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
This moment calls not for sentimentality or patronage but for clear-eyed judgment and integrity. Pragmatism must prevail, transcending internal politics to test the APC’s strategic acuity and moral compass.
With the current administration’s record of repeated failures to curb economic instability, address deepening public mistrust, and deliver tangible reforms that meet the rising expectations of Sierra Leoneans across the country, the election of the APC’s 2028 standard-bearer is no routine party affair. It is a national concern. Delegates at the upcoming National Delegates Conference must rise to this occasion with discernment, principle, and political foresight.
Across Africa, electorates have grown intolerant of scandal-ridden contenders. Nigeria’s 2015 elections witnessed a decisive rejection of corruption-linked aspirants. Ghana’s political landscape was shaped by judicial inquiries into high-ranking officials. Sierra Leoneans now demand similar standards of accountability.
The APC’s bruising loss in 2023 leaves no margin for error. Electing a contender under legal scrutiny or with questionable SLPP ties as the party’s 2028 flagbearer would be a strategic misstep of grave proportions.
This is not conjecture. The flagbearer race is crowded with aspirants burdened by unresolved investigations, pending court matters, controversial tenures in public service, and internal divisions.
While some may mistake party grassroots support for their personal support, rely on financial influence from sources inimical to the APC, and posture with legacy credentials that bear little or no relevance, such claims can not outweigh their ethical liabilities that imperil the party’s electoral success.
Endorsing a flagbearer with a checkered past would arm the SLPP and its media proxies with potent ammunition to shift the 2028 campaign into a referendum on personal ethics, eclipsing governance and policy. Legal distractions, moral ambiguities, and scandals would dominate the news cycle, transforming a national campaign into a theatre of subpoenas and damage control.
The region offers precedents. Kenya’s 2017 elections were overshadowed by litigation. Nigeria’s 2015 elections were marred by scandal. Even in our case, the 2023 elections and the feeble response of the APC Leader to the weaponisation of the judiciary against him, and the weakness exhibited in the brazen stealing of the elections should serve as a sobering reminder.
Should the APC repeat those missteps, the SLPP will seize the narrative. Policy discussions will drown beneath the weight of denial and reputational firefighting.
Beyond electoral risk, a divisive candidate threatens the party’s fabric. Factionalism, resignations, and splintered loyalties could compromise campaign momentum and infrastructure. The media will probe every crevice of the candidate’s past, locking the APC in a reactive cycle that derails its core message.
To regain power in 2028, the APC must put forward a candidate who is electable, unblemished, and demonstrably credible. Loyalty must be backed by integrity.
Political calculus, not party nostalgia, must serve the national interest.
A candidate under legal or ethical scrutiny isn’t merely vulnerable. He is politically radioactive. Controversies will dominate debates, alienate allies, and push swing voters into retreat.
The APC needs more than a popular figure. It needs a principled and unblemished leader who can stand toe-to-toe with the SLPP without legal distractions or moral ambiguities.
In this climate, the APC must turn to a flagbearer who commands respect across party lines and embodies the principled leadership Sierra Leoneans crave.
To reclaim its stature as a credible alternative to the ruling party, the APC must chart a new course rooted in ethical clarity and strategic foresight. This is not just about winning votes—it’s about restoring public trust and redefining leadership for a nation yearning for integrity.
The choice of flagbearer will echo far beyond the confines of a party convention; it will shape Sierra Leone’s democratic trajectory. For the APC, the mandate is clear: reject expedience, embrace principle, and present a candidate whose clean slate inspires unity, earns respect, and builds a winning coalition.
