The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has officially withdrawn its request for the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) to supervise and conduct its re-run elections.
In a letter dated 18th March 2025, addressed to the PPRC Chairman, the SLPP National Secretariat informed the Commission of its decision to appoint an independent body to oversee the re-run elections at various levels, including sections, zones, chiefdoms, and constituencies. The party call on the PPRC to disregard its previous correspondence on the matter.
SLPP also announced plans to convene a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to establish a detailed timetable for the elections and designate the appropriate body to conduct them. The finalized schedule will be communicated at a later date.
While withdrawing its request for direct PPRC supervision, the party reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and democratic principles. In accordance with Article 12, subsection 2, paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of the Political Parties Act of 2022, the SLPP confirmed that the PPRC would still be invited to observe the elections.
As a result of this decision, all internal SLPP elections have been temporarily suspended until the NEC finalizes the new dates for the re-run and remaining executive elections.
This decision comes in the wake of the PPRC’s recent report dated 14th March 2025, on petitions filed following the SLPP’s Lower Level Elections.
The review process, led by PPRC Chairman Emmanuel KoiVaya Amara, involved extensive hearings at the Commission’s headquarters in Freetown and its regional office in Bo. The Commission engaged national, regional, district, constituency, and chiefdom executives, along with members of the Regional Elections Complaint Committees (RECC), to address the concerns.
Petitions were received from multiple districts, including Western Area (Rural and Urban), Kailahun, Bo, Bombali, Kono, Kenema, Port Loko, Tonkolili, Koinadugu, Kambia, Karene, Pujehun, and Bonthe.
According to the report, the Commission identified significant irregularities in various constituencies, requiring fresh elections at the zonal or sectional levels. The commission’s findings raised concerns about the credibility of the electoral process that could influence the party’s internal governance.
PPRC further mandated re-runs in several SLPP lower-level elections after reviewing numerous petitions challenging the conduct of the polls held on 8th February 2025.
In Constituency 105 (Western Area Rural), the Commission ordered a re-run of the zonal elections. Similarly, in Constituency 106, irregularities that compromised the election outcome led to a directive for fresh polls. In Constituency 108, procedural flaws were deemed significant enough to invalidate the elections.
The PPRC has highlighted several recurrent issues in their report. These include irregularities with voter lists and party cards in constituencies like 106, 107, and 123, where party members reported being left off voter lists or denied party cards. In Constituency 116, there were complaints about changes to election venues without proper notification. Constituencies 118 and 013 experienced discrepancies between official election results and the submission of executive lists. Tonkolili District’s Constituencies 048 and 050 faced election cancellations due to reports of violence. Additionally, in Constituency 124, elections couldn’t proceed in multiple zones because of a lack of consensus.
While ordering re-runs in multiple constituencies, the PPRC upheld election results in others. For instance, in Constituency 008 (Kailahun District), allegations of party card distribution issues did not warrant overturning the results. Similarly, in Constituency 086 (Bo District), the Commission ruled in favor of maintaining the existing results. In some areas, such as Constituency 111 (Western Urban), the Commission urged stakeholders to resolve disputes through consensus.
PPRC emphasized its commitment to ensuring free and fair internal elections within political parties. It directed the Commission’s offices to publish the dates for re-run elections in affected constituencies. The findings underscore the challenges encountered during the SLPP’s internal electoral process and highlight the PPRC’s role in upholding democratic standards.
