APC Announces Withdrawal from Parliament And Governance Over Appointment of Chief Electoral Commissioner

The main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) has announced the immediate withdrawal of its elected officials from Parliament and Local Councils nationwide, protesting the appointment of Mr. Edmond Sylvester Alpha as Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL).

The decision was communicated at a high-level meeting convened by the National Peace and Cohesion Commission (NPCC) at the Brookfields Hotel in Freetown on Tuesday, 3rd March 2026. The APC leadership and its Negotiating Team attended the meeting, which was also joined by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, representatives of ECOWAS, and other international and development partners.

The purpose of the gathering was to review the implementation status of the Tripartite Committee Recommendations arising from the Agreement for National Unity. During the discussions, the APC outlined what it described as the government’s “persistent and flagrant disregard” for the agreed electoral reforms.

According to a press statement issued by the party, the government’s actions have now culminated in the appointment of Mr. Edmond Sylvester Alpha as Chief Electoral Commissioner—a move the APC argues “runs directly contrary to the spirit, intent, and sequencing of the Tripartite reform commitments.”

The APC stated that Mr. Alpha is “widely associated with the deeply contested and discredited 2023 electoral process,” and asserted that his appointment “gravely undermines public confidence in the Electoral Commission and threatens the credibility of future elections.”

In response to this development, the party said it “firmly restated its decision to withdraw the participation of its elected officials from Parliament and Local Councils across the country until such time as Mr. Edmond Sylvester Alpha vacates the office of Chief Electoral Commissioner of the ECSL.”

The APC emphasized that its position is not motivated by partisan interest, but by what it called “a principled commitment to electoral integrity, constitutional governance, and the preservation of democratic legitimacy in Sierra Leone.”

The party stated that it remains ready to re-engage constructively in the governance process once meaningful steps are taken to restore confidence in the electoral reform process and uphold the commitments contained in the Agreement for National Unity.

The press release was signed by Lansana Dumbuya, Esq., National Secretary-General of the All Peoples Congress.