Who in the party (SLPP) other than His Excellency that is more qualified or suitable to be even President of Sierra Leone than Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh? He is the right choice of running mate for President Bio,’ are the words of an SLPP executive who said if the president’s choice of Dr Juldeh Jalloh as his running mate for the 24 June elections still irks certain segments of the party, ‘then they should tell President Bio so to his face’ he suggested.
Weeks after President Bio announced that he will retain Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh as his running mate and vice presidential candidate word reaching Nightwatch Press is that certain members of the ruling party are still not satisfied with the president’s choice. They are still trying to find ways to cause division in the party’s rank and file.
‘But instead of focusing on the tribalists let us focus on why Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh is the right man for the running mate position.
‘The tribalists’ idea is that the president is so focused on the Fullah vote that he is missing seeing reason to replace Vice President Jalloh for his second term bid with another running mate hopeful. But what they failed to realise is that the field of possible running mate materials got narrower every time you left Dr Jalloh’s name out of the list. There was and still is no one in the party that is a better choice than Vice President Dr Juldeh Jalloh for running mate to President Bio. The sooner people accept this, the better the SLPP will be prepared for the 24 June elections,’ he said.
The ruling party executive reminded partisans that in 2018 when the party was struggling to come up with a strong running mate with potential and a strong political base to help Bio and the party, Dr Juldeh came to the rescue. Dr Juldeh is both from the third largest ethnic group and a seasoned career diplomat of the UN system hence has a sound political grounding.
It must be stated that it is a matter of fact that the Fullahs are a very important part of our business and political landscape, and are actually at the very top. They are peaceful, family oriented and major players in the economy as majority of them are traders and merchants that are known for acting or deciding in community. This is Dr Juldeh Jalloh’s pedigree. Our Fullah fellow citizens also occupy and have played great roles in government, education, arts and entertainment,’ he informed.
During his tenure as Vice President, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has represented Sierra Leone on the local and international stages on different platforms where he performed very well. When the nation was in the brink of a nationwide all out civil unrest on 10 August and the slaughter that followed, Vice President Juldeh Jalloh played a very critical role calming things down. He plays a very reconciliatory role on all issues and always takes the side of reasoning and caution. Out of all the management decisions President Bio made before winning 2018 naming Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh as his running mate was his soundest. He said he proved that he is a man of integrity by keeping his word to the people that he will reclaim State House when he announced Dr Jalloh as his running mate.
‘Vice President Juldeh Jalloh is the right and only choice for President Bio to choose. He is not only competent to second the president in the party and the executive arm of the government but to outright lead the part in the future. The fact of the matter is that what is really worrying the tribalists in our party, those from the Mende segment, is that Vice President Juldeh Jalloh will be the party’s leader and chairman after President Bio,’ he assured.
After the many decisions and events that have come to define the New Direction regime of retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio for which the people have complained, his decision to retain Vice President Jalloh as his running mate contrary to public opinion then has been welcomed by all and sundry as sound. By going with his second in command, President Bio has shown great confidence in Dr Jalloh and belief that they can trump any candidate the opposition field for president and vice president.
‘All the president is asking for the public to do is give him and Dr Juldeh Jalloh another opportunity to complete their promises and do things right. The past five years have not been good for the party and the government. The only thing going right for the SLPP at present is having Dr Juldeh as President Bio’s number two. The ball is now in the court of the opposition to see if they still believe in their 2018 ticket for the 2023 race. We will see,’ he mocked.