By Ibrahim Sesay
Prominent political figure, journalist and long-standing party member Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden has formally announced her political intentions within the All People’s Congress (APC), placing herself at the centre of potential leadership restructuring ahead of the party’s 2026 National Delegates Conference.
In a reflective and strongly worded New Year message released on January 1, 2026, Dr. Sylvia Blyden chronicled her 25-year journey in the APC, issued a sobering assessment of the party’s recent electoral disappointments and confirmed that she is actively considering three major options: contesting for the 2028 Presidential Flagbearer position, seeking election as National Deputy Chairman or stepping aside from frontline leadership.
In her statement, Dr. Sylvia Blyden recalled a pivotal moment 13 years ago when she met privately with then-President Ernest Bai Koroma and National Secretary General, Victor Foh, in Kabala, Koinadugu District, marking her re-entry into senior APC circles after previously withdrawing from national partisan activities.
She described the 2013 discussion, including a phone call by President Koroma to her family, as a high point in her service to the party, which would soon see her appointed as Special Executive Assistant to the President with Cabinet rank.
Both Ernest Bai Koroma and Victor Foh acknowledged her prior contributions between 1999 and 2001 when she used her platform, resources and advocacy to reposition the APC as a competitive political force following its years in opposition. She noted her work in authoring the final draft of Ernest Bai Koroma’s official biography in 2006 as further testament to her strategic involvement.
“The mood in that meeting had been buoyant and the future of the APC had seemed bright,” she said.
Contrasting her optimistic memory of Kabala with current realities, Sylvia Blyden said the APC is now “uncomfortably located in a condition” marked by two successive presidential defeats and what she described as internal dysfunction.
She highlighted the unprecedented scale of the 2018 loss, when all top-tier party executives, including former President Koroma, Deputy Chairman Minkailu Mansaray, National Chairman Osman Yansaneh and Western Area Chairman Pat-Sowe, lost their home constituencies to the rival Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
“2018 was an unimaginable abomination indeed,” she wrote.
However, she characterized the 2023 polls as even more disastrous, citing operational failures and alleged internal sabotage that led to the APC not submitting a full set of district-level results for the presidency, parliamentary, mayoral and local council elections.
Sylvia Blyden questioned how a party with a legacy of strong electoral machinery could collapse into disorganization, branding the outcome “treachery and incompetence.”
“No one should shy away from confronting the truth,” she said.
Dr. Sylvia Blyden declared that the APC now needs bold leadership, fresh direction and individuals with strategic capacity who are willing to restore integrity, internal discipline and national appeal.
“We now need a paradigm shift using strategic political thinkers who have to come forward and take leadership so as to move the APC from zero back to hero,” she stated.
Positioning herself as one such leader, she affirmed that she is fully competent and ready to serve if called upon.
As the APC prepares for its 2026 National Delegates Conference, Dr Blyden says she is weighing the following paths:
- Seek the 2028 APC Presidential Flagbearer nomination
- Contest for National Deputy Chairman (2026-2029 term)
- Withdraw from active leadership roles temporarily
She emphasized that the decision will be finalized after consultations with supporters, party stakeholders and senior officials.
Dr Blyden underscored her long-standing contributions to the party, financial, advisory and organizational, dating back to 1999, when she personally financed APC activities during a period of national uncertainty and party weakness.
“When the APC was an empty castle but with potential, I invested my money, energy and time,” she said, subtly challenging new entrants and recent leaders to show equal sacrifice while respecting veterans who kept the party afloat.
She highlighted her participation in key leadership structures, including:
- National Delegates Conference (2013–2017)
- APC National Advisory Committee (NAC)
- Secretary of the 9-Man Transitional Committee (2018)
- Adopted NAC Member (2019–2020)
Closing her statement on a spiritual note, Dr. Sylvia Blyden asked Sierra Leoneans and APC supporters to pray for divine guidance as she considers the next steps in her political journey.
Quoting the Quran and Holy Bible, she reminded supporters that leadership decisions ultimately align with God’s plans, adding that she aims to make a decision that is “for the overall good of Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans within the vehicle of the APC.”
With factional lines forming in anticipation of the APC’s next leadership transition, Dr Blyden’s declaration inserts a prominent and sometimes controversial figure into the emerging contest.
Her length of service, policy influence, public media visibility and history of internal dissent, combined with her ability to mobilize grassroots supporters, suggest that her next move could reshape the direction of the main opposition party.
For now, she says she remains committed to the APC, anchored by decades of activism.
“As we enter this season of decision-making, my heart remains with the APC and the Sierra Leonean people,” she concluded
