Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Lansana Dumbuya, the National Secretary General of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), has struck an uncompromising tone following his release from the Pademba Road maximum-security prison, declaring that incarceration will not silence his political voice.
Dumbuya was released on bail late Tuesday after a tense legal standoff stemming from remarks he made at a January 31 party gathering.
The APC Secretary General’s release follows a highly scrutinized chain of judicial events. Dumbuya was initially detained for questioning by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on February 4 after delivering a speech at the Atouga Stadium where he accused President Julius Maada Bio of “stealing” the 2023 general elections.
On February 12, he was formally brought before Magistrate Court No. 1, charged with incitement, insulting conduct, and public insult, and subsequently remanded to Pademba Road.
His eventual release late Tuesday came after a chaotic courtroom session earlier this week, during which the presiding magistrate abruptly walked out of the courtroom, briefly sending Dumbuya back into custody before bail was finally secured.
Addressing energized party members at the APC office in Freetown shortly after securing his freedom, the lawyer-turned-politician framed the charges against him as a clear attempt to criminalize legitimate political speech.
“I am not intimidated by Pademba Road Prison,” Dumbuya declared.
The statement served as a direct signal to both the ruling government and his party base that he refuses to be cowed by legal pressure. He maintained that his contested statements were not criminal acts of incitement, but rather a reflection of the APC’s official institutional stance regarding transparency and the outcome of the 2023 elections.
Moving beyond his own legal defense, Dumbuya used his post-release address to steer the APC’s immediate political strategy.
He strongly urged party members to avoid factionalism and to concentrate their efforts on the party’s upcoming lower-level internal elections.
Emphasizing the need for internal discipline, peaceful conduct, and respect for the will of the people, Dumbuya called for a temporary “ceasefire” ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. He requested that all members suspend internal political frictions and maintain calm throughout the fasting period.
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