SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) supporters have been taken by surprise after Bio bids them farewell saying he has four years more to go.
“It is high time I said bye bye; we have to choose another flag-bearer and that is the most difficult part,” he told a mammoth crowd of supporters while admonishing that the flag-bearer should be someone the party members have to be comfortable with.
He told his supporters that since he was in his last term, he had to start saying good bye to his people, and despite the conflicts and controversies, he still looked at them as “one family” and called them to stay together while 2028 polls would not be an easy ride to power.
“Make no mistake, 2028 will not be a silver-platter, so the youth must come together,” he told the youth as he expressed confidence that he would provide the leadership the party deserved. President Bio called on the youth to remain united and get ready for the new task in spite of the differences.
“There will always be differences, but such differences should not set you apart,” he admonished the youth while cautioning them not to use social media as the platforms for the settlements of conflicts.
President Bio reminds the SLPP youth that it is their party that can provide the right leadership, and without it, the party is doomed to failure.
It will not be in the same old model where flag-bearers are chosen owing to regional and friendly considerations.
“It will not work for us,” he said adding that most of the youth trust him because of his track record.
President Bio also admonished his supporters to be well calculated from now on to the time a new flag-bearer was elected as well as the national officers.
“We have to do that as the opponents are not good for themselves and the country,” he said while urging SLPP members to be serious about elections.
He called on his supporters not to be over-confident on the party’s ‘wutehteh’ numbers as voters usually gets result that do not reflect the actual number.
“This is my last term, and I am no more interested in running for another term,” Bio reiterated his stance and called on his supporters adding that he did not have to listen to social media to make decisions.
“I will not be at the fore according to the time the constitution allows me to be there. When my time is done, I will not be at the fore,” Bio emphasised.
President Bio made a clean breast of himself when he stated that he would only stay in accordance with the Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone’s constitution provides that a President can serve for only two terms and frowns at a third term.
The farewell ceremony took place at Bio’s residence comes at a time suspicion of Bio’s sellout to the APC is growing high with international pressure mounting on him.
As he prepares to take an exit, President Bio thinks it worthwhile to train a crop of young men and women that will take over the party when they shall have left.
“When I bring people to the party, I will ensure that they are educated and responsible and know exactly what they are doing,” he said while urging the youth to go back to their constituents.
He said most of the young men and women appointed in his government were not from his hometown but ensured that every district in Sierra Leone was represented.
“We have to make the Sierra Leone People’s Party be stronger and well-organised,” he appealed to the SLPP elders but observes that it all depends on the next crop of leaders the party would produce in the near future.
“70 percent of the population are young people, and we have to teach them how to take over from us. We should not say they are too young and we must also not discard them,” he admonished his party members.
Bio reiterated his call for the young people of the party to prepare for the collective leadership of the party, and they must start to think deeply about it.
The president’s call to the youth presents him as one that sees the development of a succession plan as his preoccupation at the moment while he will be delivering on his promises.
Bio also made it clear that a leader should be someone who should provide leadership and must be ready to take difficult decisions when situation calls for it.
He also shared his experience he got in the last election saying he visited almost every community in Sierra Leone and also coped with post-election challenges especially the “attempted coup” of November, last year.
President Bio’s address to his supporters also comes at a time a probe into the June 24, 2023 elections is ongoing.
The investigative committee is expected to end their investigations in April, this year according to a communiqué signed between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and the main opposition, All People’s Congress.
The communiqué emanated from an inter-party dialogue mediated by the Commonwealth, African Union and ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) to end a post-election stalemate that threatened the country’s peace and stability.
At the moment, all eyes and ears are fixed to the tripartite committee and a vast majority of the people of Sierra Leone looks forward to only a rerun recommendation.
If such recommendation is made, there is no way an election will be held in 2028, but Bio sounds confident while others say he is throwing dust in his supporters’ eyes.
As he looks back at history, he commended his supporters for standing with him throughout his political trials and tribulations dating back to 2005.
“I have gone through the most difficult struggles than any other leader in Sierra Leone since independence,” he asserted.
But, he went on, he took solace from the greatest support he received from his party members as he claimed that all prophets went through similar struggles.
Bio also expressed gratitude for the strong support he received from his people which, he said, enabled him safely steer the ship of state.
President Bio also reminded his SLPP supporters about his contribution to the peace and development of Sierra Leone adding that it is only SLPP that can take Sierra Leone out of the doldrums of poverty.
“I promised to bring the then rebel leader, Foday Saybana Sankoh to the peace talks, and I delivered. It is only me that know which way I used to reach him,” he told his supporters amid thunderous cheers.
Bio said he made such achievements at a time allegations were rife that a military ruler would not bring democracy to Sierra Leone.
But he challenged them saying that he believed in democracy than those claiming to be democrats.
“I fought the war to bring democracy because there was one-party rule in Sierra Leone,” Bio looked back at history, and warned that never again shall the nation resort to such style of leadership.
In his address to the SLPP members, Bio did not lose sight of the current development plans he is pursuing with the ‘Feed Salone’ initiative standing out.
He believes that the ‘Feed Salone’ and the five big game changers will take Sierra Leone to higher heights adding that he had implemented several governance projects that have led to an increase in life expectancy and decrease of maternal mortality rate by 60%, more children are attending School and women taking active part in state governance.
“The achievements are many,” he emphasised adding that there is a better Sierra Leone today owing to his dedication to leadership.
He also spoke one of Sierra Leone’s key achievements in being invited to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.
In such capacity, he went on, Sierra Leone is making great contributions to international peace and security. “We have cleansed our image in the past five years and the world sees Sierra Leone as a force to reckon with. A lot has happened with the economy and other sectors of governance,” he said.
Despite Bio’s promise of a 2028 election, the supporters still see it as a wait-and-see affair.
