By Sorie Abubakarr, Freetown, Sierra Leone. March 8, 2024.

Police in Sierra Leone dispersed members of the opposition National Grand Coalition (NGC) party who gathered in Freetown on Friday for a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

The meeting was reportedly intended to confirm the NGC’s withdrawal from its alliance with the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). This comes after a disagreement within the NGC regarding the continuation of the alliance.

On Wednesday, a founding member of the NGC, Mohamed Koroma, issued a warning against withdrawing from the alliance. The warning was delivered through a legal representative, stating that the NEC meeting convened by Acting Chairman Jesmed M. Suma was unconstitutional.

Koroma warned that only the National Delegate Conference (NDC) could make decisions of this kind.

It would be recalled that a “progressive alliance” was formed between the SLPP and NGC prior to the 2023 general elections. This alliance was formalized in a ceremony on April 23, 2023, with the agreement document endorsed by Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, former NGC leader, and President Maada Bio of the SLPP.

The agreement promised NGC members ministerial positions and other key roles in exchange for their support in the elections. In alignment with this agreement, the NGC refrained from introducing a presidential candidate for the 2023 elections and also abstained from contesting in parliamentary and local council seats within SLPP strongholds.

However, following the SLPP’s victory, only the former NGC leader Kandeh Yumkella received a government position. This has led to dissatisfaction within the NGC, with some members calling for a withdrawal from the alliance.