Close to 2028, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) faces an uncertain future in the coming polls. As date for the polls draws near, it remains unclear whether there will be either a transition or election through the probe by the Tripartite Committee.
The Tripartite Committee, a body set up to look into alleged irregularities of the June, 2023 elections, recently issued 80 recommendations bordering on electoral reforms with an additional five on accountability and showing who the true winner is.
Going by the evidence at hand, the ruling party stands on slippery grounds as the All People’s Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Samura Kamara reportedly tendered unchallenged evidence that placed him on the edge of his political rival.
Reports indicated that out of 71% RRFs (Result Reconciliation Forms) submitted to the election investigators, the opposition candidate got 57.15% of the total votes while the incumbent, President Julius Maada Bio got a little over 37%.
With such disparity in such figures, it was a landslide and first-round victory for Samura Kamara. With such figure, there would have been no run off had the election come out fair.
Matters were made worse when the incumbent candidate reportedly failed to present any evidence to the investigators relying only on the pronouncement of the country’s election body, ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone).
The worst comes to the worst when ECSL too fails to submit evidence to the election investigators that would show that President Bio genuinely won the election. Now, the implementation of the recommendations is gathering pace though at a snail-pace, but the December 31, 2026 deadline is surely an albatross that hangs on the necks of government officials.
As it stands, the deadline is a redline SLPP must not cross although they see it as a respite or cool-off period to re-strategize and fight back.
With all political gimmicks and shenanigans, Samura Kamara hopes to take over the presidency if the international community goes strictly by the findings and recommendations of the Tripartite Committee.
Besides the Tripartite, the ruling party’s future also hangs on the balance owing to the much-trumpeted allegation of harbouring a drug lord who manufactures and exports drugs from Sierra Leone to Europe and the United States.
The story of Jos Leijdekkers is being told every day on the global stage that he is in Sierra Leone enjoying state protection and intermittent waves of extradition request turned down.
The European country of Holland has been on the frontline of subjecting Sierra Leone government to pressure for leijdekeers to be sent home.
Leijdekkers also known as Bolle Jos is a drug fugitive facing a cumulative prison term of not less than 60 years if he is handed over to the Dutch authorities with Europe and the United States on the receiving end.
He has been convicted by several countries in Europe for operating large drug networks around the world.
Despite Europe and US’s persistent request to Sierra Leone for the extradition of the drug baron, Sierra Leone government has always denied allegation of harbouring Leijdekkers in the country.
But, new evidence recently emerged when two notorious drug traffickers were tracked down in Qatar with one of the suspects being a relative of Bolle Jos. Despite government’s denial, the international community seems convinced that Leijdekkers is seeking a haven in Sierra Leone and has decided to take serious action against the government.
At the G-7 meeting recently held by powerful countries plan to slam sanctions on countries harbouring drug lords and also go after such governments.
Quite lately, the Dutch government has made repeated attempt to have his security forces forcefully arresting Leijdekkers in Sierra Leone, a move seen by the Sierra Leone government as an invasion of sovereignty.
Government’s spokesman, Alpha Kanu said, in a media interview, that any action of a foreign state forcefully entering Sierra Leone would be an attack on sovereignty and could be resisted.
The Spokesman’s statement for many analysts and commentators is a tacit acceptance that Bolle Jos is in Sierra Leone for which the US and the West will not sit with folded arms. Drugs, money laundering and financing of terrorism are crimes that are closely linked.
Recently, evidence has shown that much of the money derived from drugs trafficking and corruption is used to finance terrorist groups like Al-Shabab in Somalia, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Boku-Harram in Northern Nigeria and even the ISIS (Islamic State Fighters) operating in most Middle East countries.
For trial of drug related crimes, principles of international justice are usually applicable: a Sierra Leone drug trafficker can be arrested and tried in any country as if the offence was committed there.
It is clear that if such drug laws and principles are applied to Sierra Leone, key members and senior officials of the ruling party will fall while the opposition party takes over state governance.
SLPP will still enter uncharted waters in 2028 even in a situation where the tripartite probe and the drug crimes are overlooked as abysmal failures in state governance will come to the fore.
The ruling party has failed to address the bread-and-butter issue, inflation, high cost of living, security and human rights abuses.
Although agriculture is the flagship project for government’s BIG FIVE game changers supported by the ‘Feed Salone’ initiative, food is still a big challenge for the people of Sierra Leone.
The ruling party is yet to make impressive inroads in agriculture although Sierra Leone is blessed with fine weather (abundant rainfall) and a youthful population to till the land and rear the animals for food self-sufficiency, the price of a bag of rice still stands at over Le700 (seven hundred thousand Leones) and the quality one close to Le1, 000 (one thousand Leones) the equivalent of US$30 and US$50 respectively.
The price of other basic food stuff also remains the same making it difficult for the have-nots to afford.
Closely related to the food challenge is the seeming uncontrollable inflation that is almost wrecking the economy. Prices of goods and services in Sierra Leone have hit a record high with inflation standing at 2-digit as indicated by assessments from Statistics Sierra Leone.
Apart from hiking food prices, Prices of fuel, personal wearing, medicines and other services are no longer the same in just eight years of SLPP rule.
A price of a litre of petrol which was just Le6 is now Le 35 and even Le40 for ‘jebu’ sellers (black marketers) on the streets. No gainsaying that transport fares go high as long as fuel prices go up.
The transport fare now from Freetown to Kailahun and back amounts to approximately Le 800 (Eight Hundred Leones), and such fares almost remain the same from as from Freetown to Makeni and back and from Freetown to Bo and back, as it is from Freetown and back to all other provincial towns. This exorbitant transport fares have in themselves systematically restrained the free movements of people and goods and services across the country.
Widespread hardship is usually the result in a situation where government fails to contain inflation.
In almost every corner of Sierra Leone, hardship and suffering is the main topic for discussion among the public with many calling for a change.
The call for a change of government manifested clearly in the June, 2023 election when the people overwhelmingly voted for the opposition, All People’s Congress party even in the South-East regions which are considered traditional strongholds of the ruling party.
But, alleged election rigging led to an undesired result for which the people are waiting for correction by the international community.
One hardly expects peace and security in an environment where the people’s livelihoods are threatened by widely perceived wrong policies of government.
Riots, protest and extreme lawlessness are traits of a citizenry whose country is plagued by bad governance and underdevelopment.
Arguably, the factors of election probe, drug related crimes and bad governance failures are weighing down heavily on the Bio regime and the chances of SLPP continuity in power, except some kind of miracle appears.