President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, on Wednesday 30 July 2025, delivered what many delegates described as a powerful and defining opening statement on the future leadership of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
Addressing the national delegates, who are electing the party’s national officers on Thursday 31 July 2025, at the Bintumani International Centre in Freetown, the SLPP Leader declared: “As you vote, remember leadership is not about age or titles — it is about character, vision, and service.”
He went further to emphasise that the next flagbearer must be chosen carefully, outlining that such a leader must have “the skill set to win the General Elections, the maturity to heal divisions, the wisdom to reach across factions, the courage to embrace opponents, and the proven record and natural ability to lead this Party — and our nation — forward.”
From his words, many in the hall left with a clear sense of who fits this description.
Recounting his own journey of losses and victories, President Bio reminded delegates that leadership is ultimately a calling from God, not just political ambition. “Above ambition, above strategy, and above support — leadership comes from the ALMIGHTY GOD,” he declared.
The President also reiterated that his legacy for the SLPP was one of peace, credibility, and fairness, stressing that “no political ambition is worth the peace of our Party or the life of any Sierra Leonean.” His reflections, drawn from his experiences since 2005, gave delegates a strong guide on what qualities they should value above personal loyalties or pressures.
The President also issued a strong caution against manipulation in his name. “Although I am a man of few words, no one speaks for me but me. I have not endorsed any candidate because I believe in a fair contest where the will of the delegates prevails,” he stated firmly.
He warned delegates not to be deceived by anyone claiming his backing: “Let me go on record — clearly and publicly — before this noble gathering: I, Julius Maada Bio, have not endorsed any candidate at this stage of my second-term mandate.”
His words underscored both his neutrality and his insistence on a transparent process that will allow the true flagbearer, “the one whom the ALMIGHTY GOD has already anointed, to be revealed in His own perfect time,” to emerge.
