Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All Peoples Congress (APC) has announced application guidelines for the conduct of the elections for national officers of the party at their National Delegates Conference slated for 17th, 18, and 19 February 2023.

The party made this announcement in a public notice dated 10 February 2023 and signed by Secretary and Head of Secretariat, ITGC, Hon. Abdul Kargbo.

The notice reads as follows:

“In compliance with the directives of the High Court of Sierra Leone and the All Peoples Congress Party 2022 Constitution, the public and membership of the APC Party is hereby informed that registered members of the Party wishing to contest for National Officer position must satisfy the following criteria to be eligible to contest at the National Delegates Conference.

1. For a member to be eligible to be voted for as a National Officer of the Party, that Member must have been a registered paid up Member of the Party for a continuous period of not less than five years. Article 55 (c).

2. Election of Presidential Candidate: for a member to contest and be eligible to be voted for, that Member must have been a registered paid up member of the Party for a continuous period of not less than five years leading up to the date of the Flagbearer election he seeks to contest. Article 56 (b).

a. An aspirant must secure fifty percent plus one vote of the delegates to be elected Presidential Candidate. Where no Candidate secures such votes, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two candidates who polled the highest delegate votes in the first elections. Article 56(c).

3. Election of EMC and Non-Executive Regional NAC representatives: Applicants wishing to contest for IEMC and Non-Executive Regional NAC representatives must in addition to the constitutional requirements, provide with his/her application proof of ordinary residence in the region or district they aspire to represent.

4. No person shall hold more than one office within the Party at the same time. Article 52 (c).

5. To be eligible to contest for the position of Internal Auditor of the Party, that person must not be a member of any of the Executive Organs of the Party Article 51 (a). By Article 51(b) holder of this position is deemed to be a National Officer and must satisfy the requirement in (1) above.

6. To be eligible to contest for the position of National Legal Advisor, that Member must be a Lawyer of not less than 10 years post-call and must provide with his/her application proof thereof. Article 50 (k) (I)

7. To be eligible to contest for the position of Deputy National Legal Adviser, that Member must be a Lawyer of not less than 5 years of post-call and must provide with his/her application proof thereof Article 50 (1) (1).

8. To be eligible to contest for the position of National Financial Secretary and Deputy, that Member must be a person with an accounting or related background with a proven track record and professional experience of not less than ten (10) years and must provide with his/her application proof thereof. Article 50(i) (1) and Article 50 (j) (1) respectively.

9. To be eligible to contest for the position of National Treasurer and Deputy, that Member must have an accounting or related background with a proven track record and professional experience of not less than five years. Article (50) (g)(1) and Article 50(h)(1).

10. No person shall be eligible to contest if that person is a member of another political party.

11. All application forms must be returned to the ITGC Application Desk at the Party’s secretariat not later than Monday the 13th. Of February 2023.

12.Only applicants shortlisted as eligible to contest shall be required to pay the respective candidature fees prescribed in the APC 2022 Transitional Elections’ Rules and Regulations.

The Elections Committee for the National Delegates Conference through the ITGC Secretariat will continue to update the public and Members of the Party as and when necessary.

By copy of this notice, the Political Parties Registration Commission, (PPRC) is duly informed.”