FREETOWN, July 8 – Flagbearer aspirant Ady Macauley has raised serious concerns over the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) upcoming constituency elections, warning that the exclusive use of digital platforms for voter registration risks disenfranchising members in rural areas.
In a letter dated July 7 addressed to National Secretary-General Lansana Dumbuya, Macauley, a lawyer and flagbearer hopeful, said the party’s decision to publish the voter register and candidate list solely on its website was “insufficient” and excluded members without internet-enabled phones or reliable network coverage. The constituency elections are scheduled for Saturday, July 11.
“While modernisation is commendable, we must note that not all parts of the country or party members are fully plugged into the ‘digital transformation hub’,” Macauley wrote. “Many members do not own internet-enabled phones, others lack data or reliable network coverage, especially in rural and hard-to-reach chiefdoms and districts.”
Macauley also criticised the 48-hour deadline for correcting anomalies in the voter register, describing it as “unrealistic and inconsistent” with Article 54 of the APC Constitution (2022). He noted that members in remote areas could require more than 48 hours just to travel to Freetown or relevant offices to raise anomalies and seek corrective action.
“For members in remote areas, it can take more than 48 hours just to travel to Freetown or relevant offices, leaving them no practical time to raise anomalies and seek corrective action,” he said.
The letter further questioned why candidates who submitted manual applications—processed and signed by the National Secretary-General following consultations with the Political Parties Regulation Commission—were not included in the published online candidate list.
“If manual applications were accepted as valid, why were they not captured and incorporated into the Party’s official electronic database and published candidature list?” Macauley asked. “Can a candidature list be considered ‘complete and final’ where it does not contain all candidates whose applications have been accepted, processed, and approved by the Party?”
Macauley argued that verification of candidate eligibility should remain the responsibility of the party secretariat, not presiding officers assigned to polling centres. He warned that leaving such functions to presiding officers “creates room for arbitrary decisions, confusion and disputes with no clear avenue for redress before polling begins.”
“The publication of a candidature list is not a mere administrative announcement. It has significant electoral consequences because it informs party members, delegates, candidates, election officials and other stakeholders who the recognised contestants are,” he stated.
In his recommendations, Macauley called for:
· Physical display of voter registers and candidature lists at all regional, district, and constituency offices, as well as recognised party centres
· An extension of the 48-hour correction deadline to ensure meaningful access for all members
· Recentralisation of candidate verification and validation functions at the secretariat
· A complete, consolidated, and final candidature list containing all approved candidates
“These suggestions are made in the spirit of progress, unity and strict adherence to our Constitution, so that the forthcoming constituency elections are inclusive, orderly and credible across Sierra Leone,” Macauley concluded.
Macauley urged the secretariat to act promptly on his suggestions, warning that failure to address the concerns could lead to “repeated petitions and litigations which will further derail our path to a much-delayed NDC.”
The APC has faced internal electoral challenges in recent months. In February, the party’s Internal Elections Management Committee cancelled ward executive elections in multiple districts following reports of procedural irregularities. The party has since been working to restore internal confidence ahead of its National Delegates Conference.
The APC National Secretariat did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Copies of the letter were also sent to the National Chairman, National Legal Adviser, all flagbearer aspirants, the Internal Elections Management Committee, the Political Parties Regulation Commission, and regional chairpersons.
