By Melvin Tejan Mansaray, Abuja Nigeria
Hon. Abdul Kargbo, a member of the Sierra Leone Parliamentary Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament who also serves as the Parliamentary Leader of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party in the Sierra Leone Parliament has expressed anxiety about the status of the existence of opposition political parties in Guinea, Conakry and Nigeria.
Hon. Kargbo flagged this concern during the tabling of the Togo, Guinea, Nigeria and Benin country reports on Friday 8th May , 2026 at the Sixth Legislature’s ongoing 2026 First Ordinary Session holding at the International Conference Center, Area 10 Abuja Nigeria.
“The dissolution of over forty political parties in Guinea is worrisome,” Hon. Kargbo commented.
He raised further concerns about the whooping number of corruption cases being prosecuted and asked whether this action is not mostly targeting the supporters of the opposition and officials of the previous regime.
“Is this not selective justice?,” Hon. Kargbo asked members of the Guinean delegation.
He also voiced concern about the Nigeria country report where he mentioned that he observed that there is a declining voters turn out based on the data from the last election which he suspects is due to shrinking public trust in politicians and political parties.
Hon. Kargbo observed that:
“There is a growing influence of money in Nigeria’s politics.”
The Guinea country report is a nine-page document outlining a six-member delegation list, the political situation, environmental situation and the status of the implementation of Community legislation, initiatives, programmes and projects in Member States in tandem with the Parliament’s Rules.
In response to Hon. Kargbo’s concern, Hon. Fanta Conteh Head of Guinea’s delegation responded that out of two hundred political parties only forty were dissolved meaning that a greater number of political parties were not affected because they met the requirements.
“This is not a witch-hunt because over eighty percent of political parties participated in the elections,” Hon. Fanta maintained.
She also affirmed that the anti corruption fight by Economic and Financial Crimes Agency or Agence Nationale de Lutte contre la Corruption (ANLC) is not a witch-hunt that only targets members of the opposition or the old system but also officials of the current administration.
She noted that:
“A sitting Mayor, and Ministers of the ruling administration are being prosecuted for corruption. It is a cleanup of our public administration.”
Guinea (officially the Republic of Guinea) is a coastal French-speaking West African nation with a population of approximately 14.7 million in 2026.
Its capital is Conakry and the country is rich in natural resources—notably holding the world’s second-largest bauxite reserves—its economy depends on mining and agriculture.
Following a 2025 election and 2026 presidential inauguration, it is undergoing a return to constitutional order.
On Hon. Kargbo’s concern about Nigeria, Hon. Abiante Awaji-Inombek replied that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aka Jagaban is the only option to develop his country and firmly rejected the notion of the APC dominance is indicating that Nigeria is slipping into a one party state.
” There are other political parties and they are existing with their membership and leadership in tact,” he argued.
Ahead of its presidential elections next year, Nigeria is witnessing a wave of political defection from other political parties to mainly the ruling APC.
Hon. Abiante himself is accused of the political crosstitution, having cross carpeted from opposition PDP to that of the ruling APC, a move he said he holds no regret about.