By Lawrence Williams
The APC has called on the government to table in parliament the Agreement for National Unity (ANU) and the Tripartite Committee Report, stating that doing so would provide a legal and legitimate basis for these frameworks and ensure compliance with their implementation.
In a recent press statement, the party further called for the establishment of a parliamentary standing committee on electoral matters. The proposed committee, rooted in Recommendation 20 of the Tripartite Report and reinforced by an April 20 communiqué brokered by international moral guarantors (ECOWAS, UNOWAS, and the Commonwealth), would review the electoral cycle, assess electoral preparedness, and guide legislative reforms ahead of the 2028 general elections.
While the SLPP strongly opposes the creation of such a committee and any restructuring of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), citing Section 32(11) of the 1991 Constitution, which insulates the ECSL from the “direction or control of any person or authority,” the APC has fully endorsed the proposal. The party described the measures as indispensable for “restoring trust, strengthening democratic institutions, and ensuring inclusive governance,” adding that they would help guarantee credible elections and national stability.
Legal opinion within the civic space remains divided on the issue. While some argue that parliamentary ratification of the Agreement for National Unity and the Tripartite Committee Report would render their implementation legally binding, citing precedents such as the Lomé Peace Accord and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on the 11-year civil war, others contend that such ratification would amount only to political commitments rather than enforceable legal obligations.
Furthermore, the APC announced that its elected representatives should now return to parliament and local councils, effectively ending nearly two months of a governance boycott.
“This decision is made in good faith and in honour of the commitments outlined in the communiqué,” the party said.
Meanwhile, the APC has urged the government and all stakeholders to act with “urgency and sincerity” in implementing the agreement and the Tripartite Committee’s recommendations.
