A sad history of President Julius Maada Bio has been brought again under the spotlight, by his wife.
While addressing a group of SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) women, First Lady, Fatima Bio describes her husband, President Bio as a doctor of coup.
“President Bio holds a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in coup, so nobody can remove him from power,” she assures SLPP women loyalists.
Referring to a democratically elected President as a former coupist carries negative connotation of the presidency at home and abroad.
If the first lady is clearly understood, she was making reference to the coups d’etat in which her husband had successfully taken part to frighten Sierra Leoneans.
But, the statement is directed specifically to those who took part in the August 10 demonstrations calling on President Bio to go. “Where will he go,” Mrs Bio wonders.
The first lady also frightened protesters in the diaspora who recently humiliated SLPP officials during a summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Her threat could be a deterrent to future protests.
The threatening language is not the first to be uttered against Sierra Leoneans by the first Lady.
On several media platforms, Mrs Bio has always threatened Sierra Leoneans.
At one point, she even threatened to rip of men’s genitals for having sex with little girls even when the law does not permit such act.
By way of building loyalty among SLPP women, she also assured them of money was being raised to support President Julius Maada Bio in his second-term bid. She also appealed to the SLPP women to support President Bio in his campaigns saying nobody would remove him by use of force.
Many Sierra Leoneans particularly those in the SLPP are not pleased with the first lady’s comment saying it would stain the party. Senior SLPP members know how damaging it is to refer to a President as a coupist.
A key SLPP official who withholds his name says the world is no longer ready to work with anyone with a history military take-over, and violation of human rights. “Such record of coup by the presidency could be the reason that many countries frown at Sierra Leone,” the SLPP politician said.
The claim that several countries are cutting off support for and cooperation with Sierra Leone owing to Bio’s coup record has been lent credence to.
Since he became President in 2018, Bio has toured several countries for aid and sometimes trade, nothing came out of it as the world see him as one not to lean on.
Leaders find it extremely to trust a former military coupist. Bio is however confident that his travels has yielded dividend. The SLPP politician made a sharp comparison between President Koroma’s government and that of President Bio.
“We Sierra Leoneans saw how several investors and companies arrived in Sierra Leone after former President Koroma attended a trade summit in the UK,” he recounted.
It is a different case for President Julius Maada Bio. After dozens of trips to foreign countries, no new company came, and nothing new happened on the ground. Hope that new would happen at the eleventh hour is a mere fantasy and day-dreaming.
Former President Koroma too recently expressed his opinion on President Bio’s government which he saw as weak and lacklustre.
“I saw nothing new in the present dispensation,” Koroma said.
No one in the SLPP could fight back after the ex-President expressed his opinion since the truth is the truth.
President Bio still captains the boat, but situation remains tough for him as most countries in the world are resolved not to work with past coupists.
No one can complete Sierra Leone’s political history without mentioning President Julius Maada Bio. Bio was among a group of young lieutenants in the then Sierra Leone Army who toppled the government of President Joseph Saidu Momoh On 27th April, 1992. A new government known as National Provisional Ruling Council led by Captain Valentine Strasser replaced that of Momoh.
Bio was one of the dominant personalities in the new administration. Bio’s dominance was felt more when he was appointed NPRC’s Vice Chairman after a feud ensued between Strasser and Solomon Musa.
As Vice Chairman, Bio worked with Strasser with the hope of returning Sierra Leone to civilian rule.
But, a seeming unreadiness by Strasser to submit to democracy forced Bio to stage a putsch in January, 1996. With Strasser out of the scene, Bio became military Head of State and Chairman, NPRC.
In March, of the same year, President Bio conducted the first multi-party elections ushering Sierra Leone into a democratic state. President Ahmed Tejan Kabba of blessed memories emerged as the winner of the elections.
He defeated John Karefa Smart’s United National People’s Party in a run-off. Bio left Sierra Leone for the UK, and sojourned in the academic vineyard for a long time.
When it became clear that the people of Sierra Leone no longer needed APC (All People’s Congress) government, President Bio resurfaced on the political landscape in 2018 as a democrat.
He made fine promises to Sierra Leoneans especially consolidation of democracy and national cohesion. The people of Sierra Leone and the international were carried away by the promises as they took by him his word.
Bio was let in as President, but close to five years, the worst has happened in Sierra Leone: the country’s human rights record is nothing to write home about, and her
fine democracy enjoyed in past years has been relegated to the dust bin. Abuse of human rights, unlawful arrest and detention, intimidation and harassment as well use of widespread terror tactics hallmark Bio’s administration.
More abuses might come during campaigns as his wife, Fatima Bio says “President Bio is a doctor of coup.”