By Alfred Peter Conteh

The opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has made it clear that the party is not against next year’s national census but strongly oppose to any attempt to manipulate the process for political gain. This clarification was made by Balogun Koroma, Chair of the APC Census Committee, during a press conference held at the party’s headquarters at Old Railway Line in Freetown on Thursday 22nd May, 2025.

Koroma emphasized the importance of the census for national development, pointing out that accurate data collection is essential for proper distribution of national resources, such as schools, hospitals, water facilities among others.

“The APC is fully committed to participating in a free, fair, and transparent census. Our concern lies not with the census itself but with how it might be used to skew political representation,” Koroma insisted.

He expressed concerns that the current government, led by the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), has shown intentions of using the census to gain an unfair advantage in upcoming elections.

He reiterated that the APC openly opposed the controversial 2021 midterm census due to the lack of inclusivity and transparency. “Despite advice from the international community to wait until 2025, the government proceeded with a flawed process. We urged our supporters not to participate, and they complied,” he said.

Looking ahead to the 2026 national census, the APC reaffirmed its readiness to participate, provided the process is transparent and inclusive. Koroma expressed concern that Statistics Sierra Leone still does not have a finalized census document, which is supposed to guide the entire process. “Only now they’re preparing it, and we’re waiting patiently to see the draft,” he added.

He also accused the government of potentially delaying the census intentionally to create conditions for implementing a Proportional Representation (PR) system.

“Our elections will not be conducted under any PR system,” he asserted.