By M.B Jalloh
The All People’s Congress (APC) stands at a defining political crossroads. After years of internal disputes, leadership struggles and electoral setbacks, the party must choose between preserving the politics of the past and embracing the renewal required to compete for power in 2028. Osman Foday Yansaneh is an important part of that conversation.
A Veteran of the APC
Yansaneh’s political career dates to the Joseph Saidu Momoh era, when he served as an aide to the late president before the military coup of 29 April 1992 ended the party’s rule.
Following the APC’s return to power in 2007, he served as Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to Ghana and later became National Secretary-General, rising to become one of the party’s most influential figures.
His loyalty and contribution to the APC are part of its history. But long service should not become a permanent claim to executive leadership. Political parties must evolve, and renewal requires room for new leaders, ideas and strategies.
*The Sam-Sumana Crisis*
Yansaneh’s most controversial period as Secretary-General came during the 2015 crisis involving then Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana. On 6 March 2015, the APC National Advisory Committee expelled Sam-Sumana following an internal investigation. Yansaneh, as Secretary-General, signed and communicated the decision, while President Ernest Bai Koroma removed Sam-Sumana from the vice presidency on 17 March.
The distinction is important – the National Advisory Committee made the expulsion decision; Yansaneh did not act alone. Nevertheless, his position placed him prominently in the party’s handling of the crisis.
The dispute reached the courts. Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court upheld the presidential decision in September 2015, while the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice ruled in November 2017 that Sam-Sumana’s removal violated due-process requirements.
Whatever the competing legal interpretations, the political consequences were significant. Sam-Sumana subsequently led the Coalition for Change (C4C), which secured 87,720 votes in the first round of the 2018 presidential election. APC candidate Samura Kamara received 1,082,748 votes, while SLPP candidate Julius Maada Bio obtained 1,097,482-a margin of 14,734 votes over Kamara.
It would be speculative to suggest that all C4C voters would otherwise have supported the APC. Nevertheless, the figures demonstrate the strategic cost of allowing an internal dispute to develop into a separate electoral force.
An internal conflict had become an external electoral challenge. That remains one of the APC’s clearest political lessons.
*Beyond Yansaneh*
It would be simplistic, however, to attribute the APC’s difficulties to Yansaneh alone. The party’s problems are structural, including factionalism, leadership disputes, organisational weaknesses and inadequate mechanisms for resolving internal disagreements.
The answer is therefore not another personality-driven confrontation, but institutional renewal.
The APC’s veterans possess experience and institutional memory that remain valuable. Their role, however, should increasingly include mentoring the next generation rather than indefinitely controlling executive structures. For Yansaneh and his contemporaries, creating space for younger and competent politicians could become one of their most important contributions to the party’s future.
*Rebuilding for 2028*
If the APC intends to return to State House in 2028, it must rebuild before it campaigns.
The first priority is reconciliation. Competing factions must be brought into credible dialogue, with disputes resolved through party structures rather than public confrontation.
The second is internal democracy. Membership records, delegate selection and leadership elections must be transparent and credible. A party seeking to govern democratically must practise democracy within its own ranks.
The third is grassroots reconstruction. Constituency, district and ward structures must remain active throughout the political cycle. Women and young people should be given meaningful roles in organisation and decision-making, rather than being mobilised merely during elections.
*Give Voters a Reason to Choose APC*
The APC must also present a credible governing alternative. Its programme should address employment, electricity, agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, investment, youth development and the cost of living.
Opposition to the SLPP is not enough. Voters need a convincing answer to a more important question: What will an APC government do differently, and how will it deliver?
The party must also modernise its political communication through research, disciplined messaging, effective digital engagement and evidence-based campaigning. The 2028 electorate will be increasingly concerned with present realities and future opportunities rather than the political loyalties of previous generations.
*The Flagbearer Question*
The selection of the 2028 flagbearer will be decisive. The APC should not choose its candidate simply because he or she controls a faction, possesses financial resources or commands the loudest following.
The party needs a candidate with integrity, competence, national appeal, political maturity and the ability to unite competing interests while attracting voters beyond the traditional APC base.
The fundamental question should be: Can this candidate unite the APC and persuade voters outside the APC to trust it with national power? If the answer is yes, the party will have a credible foundation for victory.
*From Veterans to a New Generation*
The APC cannot return to power through nostalgia or by repeating the political methods that contributed to its previous setbacks. Yansaneh and his generation have written an important chapter in the party’s history, but the next generation must have the opportunity to write the next.
For Yansaneh, stepping back from executive dominance would not necessarily mean abandoning the APC. It could instead represent political statesmanship- using his experience to mentor and prepare capable leaders for the party’s future.
The issue is therefore not whether veterans have served the party. They have. The question is whether they are prepared to help build a party capable of succeeding beyond their generation.
*The Road to State House*
The APC’s route to State House in 2028 runs through reconciliation, internal democracy, grassroots organisation, generational renewal, credible policies and an electable flagbearer capable of building a broad national coalition.
The party must first put its own house in order before asking Sierra Leoneans to put it back in power.
The APC does not need to abandon its history. It needs to learn from it, renew itself and transform its experience into a credible strategy for victory in 2028.
Note: *Comments and feedback are welcome. The author can be reached via WhatsApp on +966 56 767 2815.