Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), is facing fresh uncertainty after the High Court issued an interim injunction restricting the activities of its executive leadership.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Adrian Fisher on August 27, 2026, restrains APC National Chairman and Leader Osman Foday Yansaneh and National Secretary General Lansana Dumbuya from presenting themselves as executive members of the party or performing functions associated with their respective offices.
They have also been prohibited from convening or attending executive meetings, superintending the affairs of the APC, and carrying out activities connected with the day-to-day administration of the party.
The order follows an application by Alfred Peter Conteh and Mohamed Sheridan Kamara, who are challenging the legitimacy and continued authority of the APC’s current executive.
The plaintiffs argue that the executive’s three-year mandate expired in February 2026 and that a subsequent six-month extension granted by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) was unlawful. The PPRC had announced on August 17 that the existing executive would continue managing the party while a court challenge to its directives was being considered.
The wider implications of the injunction could extend beyond the two officials named in the case. According to the 15-page ruling, executive members of the APC serving under the party’s 2022 Constitution are also restrained by the order, and actions undertaken by the current executive from August 19 have been suspended pending further proceedings.
This raises questions about the position of APC officials at regional and lower levels. Article 52 of the party’s 2022 Constitution provides three-year terms for national officers as well as regional, district, constituency and ward executive officers. The precise effect of the court order on those structures will depend on how its provisions are applied.
The ruling has already disrupted the party’s internal electoral process. On August 28, the APC’s Independent Elections Complaint Board (IECB) announced that all its activities had been suspended as a result of Justice Fisher’s ruling.
The suspension led to the cancellation of hearings scheduled for August 29 concerning petitions arising from ward rerun elections. The Board apologised to petitioners and party members who had made arrangements to travel to Freetown and said further communication would follow once new directives were received.
The injunction is an interim measure and does not constitute a final determination of the dispute over the legitimacy or tenure of the APC executive.
The case raises broader questions about the relationship between the APC’s constitutional provisions on the tenure of its elected officials and the PPRC’s authority to intervene when a party’s executive mandate is disputed.
The court is expected to consider those issues as the substantive proceedings continue.
