The Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) has issued a sweeping ruling on petitions arising from the All People’s Congress (APC) lower-level internal elections, ordering fresh elections in some wards, nullifying certain positions over eligibility breaches, and affirming results in several contested areas across the country.
The Commission said the decisions followed hearings into petitions filed by 37 APC members challenging the conduct and outcome of elections in 72 wards spread across the Western Area, Southern, Eastern, Northern and North-West regions.
The hearings were conducted between April 8 and April 18, 2026, in Freetown, Bo, Kono, Makeni and Port Loko.
In one of the major decisions, the PPRC directed that elections in Constituency 116 covering Wards 407, 408 and 409 be rerun after earlier cancellations by the APC Internal Elections Management Committee (IEMC). The Commission ordered that the rerun must be conducted using the voter register published on February 12, 2026.
In Constituency 118, Ward 413, the Commission overturned a decision by the Internal Elections Complaints Board (IECB) and upheld the election outcome, ruling that allegations of violence did not substantially affect the final results.
The PPRC also nullified the positions of Vice Chairman and Public Relations Officer in Ward 428, Constituency 124, after discovering that the declared winners were not legitimate residents of the ward.
Following the ruling, Kosonikeh Temple and Foday Kanu, who emerged runners-up in the contest, were declared Deputy Chairman and Public Relations Officer respectively.
In another ruling affecting Constituency 127, Ward 435, the Commission cancelled the election for the position of Public Relations Officer and ordered a rerun after finding that a petitioner was unlawfully prevented from contesting.
Several petitions from the Southern Region, particularly Bonthe District, accused a group identified as the “Soja Team” of intimidation during the elections.
However, the Commission held that despite the allegations, the elections were conducted and the results remained valid.
In Ward 318, the PPRC acknowledged claims of disenfranchisement but ruled that the absence of some voters did not invalidate the overall electoral process.
The Commission also reviewed multiple petitions from Kono District in the Eastern Region but largely upheld the election outcomes after concluding that many allegations of irregularities lacked sufficient proof.
In Falaba District, the PPRC ordered reruns in some wards where concerns over candidate eligibility were established during hearings.
Meanwhile, most of the petitions filed in Kambia District were dismissed after the Commission affirmed that the elections were properly conducted.
A separate petition from Port Loko District was also thrown out, with the Commission allowing the results to stand.
The PPRC maintained that its rulings were based on provisions of the APC Constitution, the Public Elections Act 2022, and its constitutional responsibility to ensure fairness, legality and internal democracy within political parties.
The rulings are expected to deepen conversations within the APC over the credibility of its internal electoral process as factions within the opposition party continue to battle for control of key grassroots structures ahead of future political contests.