All People's Congress

The All People's Congress (APC) is a political party founded in Sierra Leone in 1960. It governed the country from 1968 to 1992, including under one-party rule from 1978.

Sierra Leone: A West African country on the Atlantic coast, independent from Britain since 1961. The APC emerged in Sierra Leone and became one of its dominant national parties.
1978 Sierra Leonean constitutional referendum: A referendum that approved a new Sierra Leonean constitution establishing the APC as the country’s sole legal party. It formally converted APC dominance into a one-party state.
Joseph Saidu Momoh: A Sierra Leonean military officer and politician who succeeded Siaka Stevens as president in 1985. As APC leader and president, he governed during the party’s final years in office.
Sierra Leone Civil War: An armed conflict in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002 between government forces and rebel groups, principally the RUF. The war began as APC rule was ending and exposed the state’s deep institutional weaknesses.
Siaka Stevens: A Sierra Leonean politician who led the APC and served as president from 1971 to 1985. He founded the party and drove its rise to national power.
One-party state: A political system in which only one party is legally permitted to govern or compete for power. From 1978, the APC governed Sierra Leone under this system.
John Amadu Bangura: A Sierra Leonean military officer who led the National Reformation Council after the 1967 coup. His intervention delayed the APC’s transfer of power after its electoral victory.
National Provisional Ruling Council: A military government that ruled Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996 after overthrowing President Joseph Saidu Momoh. It displaced the APC from power in the 1992 coup.
Sierra Leone Independence: The end of British colonial rule in Sierra Leone on 27 April 1961. The APC formed just before independence and soon competed to govern the new state.
1968 Sierra Leone coup: A military coup that ended the National Reformation Council’s rule and restored civilian government under Siaka Stevens. It enabled the APC to take office after the 1967 election had been disrupted.

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History of Sierra LeoneCompared with: Its long dominance offers a political counterpoint to the SLPP’s role in independence.