For five years, there has been no love-lost between President Julius Maada Bio and his predecessor, Ernest Bai Koroma. A strained relationship was visible between the two evidenced by several raids and attempted arrest on the former President, sometimes prompting backlash from the public.
The people of Sierra Leone have always wanted to see Bio attached courtesy and respect to Ernest Koroma, a man who many see as renowned democrat. It is also clear that the two have not been on speaking terms for years.
Two years back, Office of the former President put out a press release cautioning President Bio to stop humiliation of the former President or ran risk of provoking an all-out conflict.
However, events took a sudden twist, few days ago, when the former President replied President Bio who conveyed sentiments of good will to him on his 70th birthday. “On my behalf and that of my family, thank you and your family to join in sending a good will message on my birthday,” Ernest responded to Bio for his good wishes.
Despite the seeming long-standing adversary between the two, Bio decided to break silence by extending friendliness to a man who passed the baton of leadership to him. “On behalf of my family, the government and the people of Sierra Leone, I extend warm wishes,” Bio complimented the former President.
He also thrilled his predecessor by sending him further good wishes: “I join my family, friends, and well-wishers in commemorating this special milestone for the former President, His Excellency, Ernest Bai Koroma. Bio’s compliments to the former President come at a time he is trapped in recognition obsession. Comments by observers in the media and the public keep coming in respect of Bio’s compliments to his predecessor, and they denote one thing: Bio is poised in currying the favour and blessing of the former President.
Although he has left State House for years, the flames of Ernest’s popularity still burn brightly. Recently, Speaker of ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) Parliament, Mohamed Tunis was in Makeni to see the former President and what the two spoke remained a closely guarded secret.
However, it might not have strayed too far from canvassing the former President to throw his weight behind President Bio who badly in need of every opportunity to gain legitimacy.
The former President is still seen as an influencer and with his endorsement, many APC (All People’s Congress) members, supporters and sympathisers will follow suit.
Bio’s latest attempt to befriend a man he once declared as an enemy took the people of Sierra Leone by surprise. In an interview on Radio Democracy, President Bio declared that his predecessor was not a friend.
“Former President Ernest Bai Koroma is not my friend,” Bio declared amid calls to build a good relationship with his predecessor in the interest of national development.
The strained relationship between Bio and Koroma started off when Bio declared the latter as an ‘ANYANPEE’ which means a big thief that led a government of racketeers.
He also labelled the former President money launderer evidenced by the unexplained wealth he kept in various bank accounts locally and internationally. Bio’s allegations against the former President were re-echoed by what many called a fictitious and outlandish report authored by a group of SLPP hardliners led by sacked Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor David Francis.
In the Governance Transition Team (GTT) report of April, 2018, Prof Francis and others tagged the Koroma regime as a “criminal racketeering enterprise” which justified the setting up of judge-led commissions of inquiry to probe into the financial activities of the former President his ministers and other top government officials.
Koroma was the first person of interest in the defunct commissions of inquiry widely seen as “Kangaroo-styled.”
As a way of naming and shaming the former President, his name surfaced in a list of 50 former government officials said to have plundered the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank by obtaining bad loans which means ‘borrowing without paying.’
Koroma’s estates especially his house at Goderich in Freetown and Makeni city, north of Sierra Leone were nearly seized by government as they did to Koroma’s ministers. These allegations were subsequently followed by tough and harsh actions to lessen the former President’s political weight.
On Bio’s orders, the former President’s bank accounts were frozen to render him penniless and cut down his political influence. Bio feared that APC would remain strong if the former President was not hit hard.
Koroma has a pile of cases at the Appeals Court owing to adverse findings by the commissions of inquiry. In apparent attempt to shut him down, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), a body mandated by law to investigate corruption in public bodies, was put into action.
Koroma’s home in Makeni city was constantly raided by ACC investigators who vowed to rope in the former President at all cost.
But, Koroma’s hands were never caught in the loot despite an attempted nab by the anti-graft agency.
Although Koroma is one Africa’s most respected former Head of State, he enjoys no peace back home. He was robbed of privileges and courtesies that due a former President. Koroma is not allowed to use the official route at the country’s main international airport reserved for past Presidents.
Bio also frequently threatened Koroma of locking him up although he failed to specify any crime committed by the former President. In an apparent show of disrespect and humiliation, allegation of treason were made against the former President to justify imprisonment for life.
Treason is the most felonious crime known to the criminal law anywhere in the world, and the former President could not be above suspicion as SLPP government officials wanted Sierra Leoneans to believe.
The damaging allegations were amplified by sacked Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema who is known for making mountain out of a mole hill.
Bio also continued humiliation of the former President during campaigns on the eve of June 24, 2023 elections as he threatened to reduce him to nothing if he meddled with the elections. The allegations are far-fetched since Koroma had no business with Sierra Leone’s elections.
On countless occasions, Makeni was a flashpoint of state-sponsored violence evidenced by killings of innocent men for which no one was held to account.
About 20 people crumbled under the barrel of the gun in July, 2020 when they resisted to a forceful relocation of an electricity generator from Makeni city to Lungi town.
A staunch APC social media ventriloquist, Hassan Dumbuya aka Evangelist Samson was gunned down after August 10, 2022 demonstration staged against an unbearably high cost of living.
Resident Minister for Northeast, Abu Abu who resides in Makeni city was known for issuing a shoot-to-kill order against residents of Makeni city who are perceived APC supporters and sympathisers.
The Northeastern Resident Minister is widely seen as an SLPP hardliner whose penchant to protect his party knows no limit. The past occurrences are tragic and a birthday wish cannot change the current course of events.