President Julius Maada Bio faces deception by a number of politicians who claim to enjoy strong support from communities in the north and east of the country they claim to be their political strongholds.
As if to carve a good relationship with His Excellency, few politicians assure the President of success stories in these strongholds.
The President seems to have been hoodwinked into such political myths since democracy is about numbers.
In a democratic order, the vote of an illiterate is just the same as the vote of a highly educated man.
Put in plain terms, the vote of Professor Joe A.D. Alie is equal to that of Pa Santige Kargbo in the village.
Since such is the norm in a democracy, any President is willing to appoint anybody that commands large following in any part of the country.
The ‘New Direction’ government is poised to make impressive inroads in the northern and eastern regions of the country considering the dire situation it faces in the country’s body politic.
Few politicians, notably, Resident Minister North, Abu Abu Koroma seems to have joined the trail of political deception that he commands a large following in the North.
It would be safe to say Minister Abu was returned to the Office of Resident Minster owing to the political deception of ensuring considerable votes in the 2023 polls.
Little does President Bio know that that most of the North and eastern politicians are less popular in communities they call their enclaves.
The North-eastern Resident Minster has seriously angered people of the North through his shoot-to-kill policy he was going to implement if President Bio had agreed with him.
The supposed policy was widely seen as a brutal attempt on the part of the Resident Minister to annihilate the Northern people thus whittling down his popularity with his people.
“How can you be popular with people you threatened to kill,” a resident in Makeni asked.
The Resident Minister North is not alone in the Political deception.
Some prominent politicians in the east especially Kono politicians also deceive the President that in 2023 the ‘New Direction’ would bounce back for a second term.
To most Sierra Leoneans, Kono is a swing district that is ready to accept to any politician that they think would improve their district.
The swing status of Kono district was showcased in 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections when Former President Koroma was flag-bearer of the main opposition, All People’s Congress, then in governance.
The Kono votes went in favour of APC under former President Koroma who won the elections at that time.
The APC clinched eight out of the ten parliamentary seats in Kono districts.
In 2012, Kono overwhelmingly voted for the APC, a move seen by most Sierra Leoneans as paying back for having the country’s First Lady and Vice President.
However, the marriage between Kono People and APC turned sour following the expulsion of their son, Chief Alhaji Sam Sumana from the All People’s Congress which became the precursor to his eventual sacking from the office of the Vice President.
The sacking, no doubt, made the APC to lose its grip on Kono district which became a swing district in the 2018 elections.
Kono is one of the eastern the districts where campaign trails were the hottest. The district was a battlefield for Key political parties in the country.
The sacking of their illustrious Son, Chief Sam Sumana was a wound that was quite difficult to cure. In the end, the APC was again plunged in to the political wilderness.
The APC has languished for just few years in the cold, and seems determined to throw a devastating blow to the SLPP in the district banking on the reconciliation of Chief Sam Sumana with the main Opposition, All People’s congress.
The APC is also ready to undermine the popularity Of Kandeh Yumkellah in the Northern town of Kambia so that it can emerge as a stronger party in the 2023 polls.
The ‘New Direction’ Government has not mingled well with the people of Kono as the government fell short of the development aspirations of the Kono people.
Almost two years back, scuffle ensued between the Kono people and the ‘New Direction’ Government when it attempted to forcefully remove an electricity-generating machine to the anger of the Kono people.
Although the government has made some effort to appease the Kono by the initiation and implementation of key projects in the district especially the Technical College Project, the Kono are yet to come to terms with the government.
Most residents in Kono districts have described most of the projects as castles in the air.
Now, 2021 is almost here, and the ‘New Direction’ has little or nothing to point at in the district after close to three years of its political existence.
What is left with the ‘New Direction’ now is to take into political deception from North and eastern politicians with the hope of seeking a second term mandate from the people of Sierra Leone.
In reality, the Charlatans are not popular, but they claim popularity to deceive President Bio to appoint them into political offices.
In what appears a clear showcase of not being sure where to go compounded with weak performance in governance indicators, the ‘New Direction’ government was going to push the local council, presidential and parliamentary elections to 2024 instead of 2022 and 2023.
The government was less successful with its move as the diplomatic community is not in agreement with them.
United Nations, European Union and other inter-governmental organisations in Sierra Leone have fixed 2022 and 2023 for the multi-tier elections.
With little performance, the ‘New Direction’ will not hesitate to accept any politician from the north and the east just to secure votes.
But, the fundamental question is: How the popular are these politicians?