Freetown, 4th August 2026- The opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) has formally protested what it describes as repeated exclusion from critical activities of the ongoing 2026 Population and Housing Census.

In a letter dated 1st August 2026 and addressed to the Statistician General and Chief Census Officer at Statistics Sierra Leone, the party expressed concern over being sidelined from monitoring cartographic mapping and the ongoing mock test of census tools.

The APC accused Statistics Sierra Leone of failing to acknowledge or respond to multiple correspondences on census-related matters. The party further cited public statements by SLPP National Publicity Secretary, Moses Mambu, who disclosed on AYV’s Sunday programme that the second phase of mapping had been completed and the third was underway. Mambu also revealed that a coordinating committee of the ruling party was working closely with Statistics Sierra Leone to track mappers and capture mapping data in real time, information that was only officially presented to the Census Advisory Committee weeks later.

According to the APC, this differential treatment undermines inclusivity, transparency, and neutrality in the census process. The party stressed that political party monitoring, as was done during the Pilot Census enumeration in December 2025, is vital to credibility and public confidence. Even in exercises led by development partners such as UNFPA, the APC argued that its inclusion would provide an additional layer of oversight and feedback.

The opposition party also criticized the failure to publish disaggregated results of the nationwide cartographic mapping, which would show enumeration areas per chiefdom and district. To safeguard credibility, the APC demanded equal access for both major political parties to monitor census activities, publication of cartographic mapping results, and strict adherence to international best practices.

Specifically, the APC called for the release of:

  • The Pilot Census Cartographic Mapping conducted between June and July 2025
  • The Pilot Census Enumeration conducted in December 2025
  • The completed nationwide cartographic mapping, including enumeration areas per chiefdom and district, sections per chiefdom, and localities per section

Despite its grievances, the APC reiterated its commitment to supporting the government and Statistics Sierra Leone in conducting a credible and constitutionally compliant national census.