The failed governing Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) is said to be at an advance stage of preparations for their National Delegates’ Conference (NDC) by the close of July.
SLPP is set to elect a new executive in a bid to retain the seat of state governance at Fort Thornton, Slater Terrace, and probably in the House of Parliament at Tower Hill in 2028.
The much anticipated SLPP’s NDC charm is now strategically cast, but not well-crafted to elect a presidential candidate that will replace Julius Maada Bio.
Bio, fully aware of the shadows of the coming events, has made it public in dozens of his valedictory remarks that he shall be taking a peaceful exit at the end of his second term; but in trying to calm the tempers of constituents, he is reassuring all that the SLPP will surely continue in office beyond 2028 with another individual.
Is such possible under the watch of moral guarantors of Sierra Leone’s democratic dispensation to allow one party serve more than three terms in office? Gone are the days of one-party rule in Africa. Are Sierra Leoneans ready for such? Therefore, no matter the delaying tactics through several reversal of processes towards the run up to the 2028 general elections, the SLPP and Bio are going through a democratic regime change from the incumbent SLPP to the alternative government, the All People’s Congress APC.
On the contrary, to many well-meaning Sierra Leoneans, Bio sounds unpatriotic and very much undemocratic considering the fact that the country will no longer revert to any governance style such as a one-party state, not to mention a ploy to ignite instability in the country.
Out and about in the streets of Freetown and other parts of the country, Sierra Leoneans FORUM NEWS SL engaged with questions and concerns regarding the return of the SLPP in 2028, appear embittered, and might regret electing the SLPP in 2023. They believe nobody will dare make such a mistake for the third time, pointing out couple of reasons ranging from what many attribute to state-imposed economic-hardship, peace and stability, among others, for which Bio and the SLPP won’t be re-elected in 2028.
Other factors militating against possible re-election of the SLPP in 2028 are failures in the areas of democratic good governance, the fight against corruption, national unity, and disintegration of Sierra Leoneans along regional, ethnic and partisan lines, critical pointers to mass revulsion of the electorate against the SLPP in 2028.
To the specifics, the much talked about economic hardship is generally defined as state-sponsored, considering the level of wastages of resources from state coffers at the expense of the Government of Sierra Leone. For instance, overseas travelling alone has left the consolidated revenue and the national economy dry. Traditionally, past and present SLPP administrations have always faced severe criticism for their poor handling of the national economy. It is unimaginable that even as we are approaching elections, the cost of living continues to skyrocket, inflation eroding household incomes, and unemployment remaining high. It is doubtful that with these economic challenges amidst failures of Bio and the SLPP within a limited time frame, voters may have regretted their decision, and to now choose a new path with the only alternative, the APC.
SLPP will certainly go into political opposition due to policy failures under the watch of Bio. Under the leadership Bio, so many so-called flagship policies of the SLPP administration have not delivered the expected results as promised in the 2028 and 2023 Presidential campaign manifestos-The New Direction and the Big Five Game Changers. Take a look at the Free Quality Education (FQE) programme, which continues to face scrutiny due to poor implementation, inadequate infrastructure, and declining educational standards as manifested in public examinations.
Additionally, under the Bioled SLPP administration, governance issues have been a huge problem since 4 April 2018 to date. The Bio administration has been accused of public sector corruption, nepotism, lack of transparency and public accountability from state actors, which continue to further erode trust in the SLPP party and the man in the driving seat, which will not earn the Grand Old Party a third term at all.
More importantly, the growing popularity of certain Presidential aspirants like of Dr. Ibrahim Bangura and others of the opposition backed by the APC growing support bases across the country, such send clear signals of the departure of the SLPP and the return of the APC back to power come 2028. The APC has demonstrated political resilience and is well-positioned with the appropriate ability to present a unified front and a strong Presidential candidate that could sway voters to capitalize on the SLPP’s faults and win the approaching elections with a landslide victory, no matter the threats of violence by SLPP operatives evident in statements from Abdul Kadiru Kaikai and others.
With such concerns highlighted, coupled with the preparedness of the electorate to elect and work with a new political administration, no matter the procrastinations, processes and procedures for the coming election, Bio and the SLPP are going in 2028
