Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), has expressed “deep concern and alarm” over comments made by Jimmy Batilo Songa, the newly elected Chairman of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), which the APC says threaten democratic governance and the neutrality of state institutions.
In a statement issued on Monday, APC Acting National Chairman Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh said Songa was recorded during his public acceptance speech calling on “the President, the Army, Soldiers, and Marshals to stop the APC in 2028.”
The opposition party described the remarks as “a troubling call” for the involvement of state security forces in partisan politics, which it said violates Sierra Leone’s Constitution. The APC said the Constitution requires state institutions to remain impartial and loyal to the state and its citizens, not to any political party.
“The APC views this statement as a serious affront to democratic principles and a reckless attempt to normalize the politicization of state institutions,” the statement read. “If the intent of such a call is to prevent the APC from winning a future democratic election, then it amounts to nothing less than a call to undermine the sovereign will of the people.”
The party called for an immediate and clear public reassurance from President Julius Maada Bio that all state institutions — especially the security services — will remain neutral and never be used as instruments of political suppression. It also urged the SLPP leadership to formally repudiate Songa’s remarks “to demonstrate their commitment to democracy, peace, and the rule of law.”
The APC further appealed to Sierra Leone’s regional and international partners — including ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations — to remain vigilant regarding the political climate in the country.
The opposition warned that politicizing security institutions “erodes public confidence in elections and democratic governance” and “signals a worrying mindset that could invite the misuse of state power against legitimate political competition.”
Yansaneh reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to peace and constitutional order, urging supporters to remain calm and law-abiding. “The destiny of Sierra Leone must be determined only by the free and fair choices of its people through the ballot box and by no other means,” he said.
The statement was copied to the Minister of Development Planning, UNDP, UNFPA, ECOWAS, the African Union, and several diplomatic missions in Freetown.
By Ibrahim Jusu
