By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) has delivered its long-awaited ruling on petitions arising from the All People’s Congress (APC) lower-level internal elections, upholding some decisions of the party’s Internal Elections Complaints Board (IECB), overturning others and directing re-runs in several disputed wards across the country.
According to the Commission, the ruling followed extensive hearings conducted in response to petitions concerning APC ward elections held on 21st February 2026. The PPRC noted that the process became necessary after receiving multiple complaints from aggrieved party members challenging IECB decisions and alleged irregularities in the conduct of elections in various wards and constituencies. The Commission disclosed that a total of seventy-two wards across thirty-seven constituencies were petitioned by party members from different regions of Sierra Leone.
The PPRC explained that hearings were conducted in Freetown, Bo, Kono, Makeni and Port Loko between 8th and 18th April 2026, bringing together representatives of the APC National Secretariat, the Internal Elections Management Committee (IEMC), the IECB and petitioners. The Commission stated that the objective was to independently review grievances and determine whether the IECB rulings aligned with fairness, evidence and the APC Constitution.
Among the key decisions reached, the Commission upheld the rerun of elections in Wards 407, 408 and 409 in Constituency 116, Western Area, following an earlier IEMC decision that had gone unchallenged. It directed that the rerun elections be conducted using the APC voter list published on 12th February 2026 and held at designated polling centres approved by the party secretariat.
In Constituency 118, Ward 413, the Commission overturned the IECB decision that had invalidated the election, ruling that allegations of violence affecting the outcome could not be substantiated. The PPRC consequently directed that the election results for the ward stand. Likewise, in Ward 431 of Constituency 125, the Commission reinstated election results after concluding that delays in voting and allegations of disruptions did not materially affect the overall process.
The Commission, however, ordered reruns in several wards where it found breaches of electoral procedures, violence or unlawful changes of polling venues. In Moyamba District, reruns were ordered in Wards 327, 328, 337, 339 and 332 after findings of violence, disruptions and polling venue changes contrary to APC internal election regulations. The PPRC stressed that ward elections must only be conducted at venues designated by the APC National Secretariat, warning that deviations undermined the credibility of the process.
Additionally, the Commission declared vacant the positions of Public Relations Officer and Vice Chairman in Ward 428, Constituency 124, after finding that the elected officials were not resident within the ward as required. It subsequently directed that candidates who placed second in the elections assume the positions. In Ward 435, Constituency 127, the Commission nullified only the election for the position of Public Relations Officer and ordered a rerun after determining that a petitioner had been unfairly denied the opportunity to contest.
The ruling is expected to shape the APC’s internal electoral process as the party seeks to address lingering disputes and strengthen internal democratic accountability ahead of future political engagements.
