Abdulai Mansaray: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 7 August 2025:
The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) recently concluded its 14th National Delegates Convention in Freetown. This was preceded by regional elections that did not fare without its own catalogue of controversies.
A recent social media post by The First Lady left a lot of insinuations bordering on the suspicion of fraud and lack of clarity and transparency of the process. In the video clip, suggestions of unverified counting process and the lack of a list of verified delegates were intimated.
Considering that these regional gatherings were the precursors of the national delegate conference that took place at The Bintumani Conference Centre, one would have been forgiven to conclude that such a gathering would be explosive and loaded with political shenanigans.
Interestingly, it turned out to be a perfectly orchestrated choreography of political party that had UNITY for breakfast.
It is very tempting to conclude at face value, that this was one of, if not the best and most peacefully concluded conventions in recent times. It is no exaggeration to say that what we saw, looking from inside out was a political party that reflected its motto of “One Country, One people”.
We witnessed a political Party that presented itself as a “one Mama, One Papa” entity. The speeches were threaded with the needles dipped in glue, harmony and fanfare.
When you look at the way President Bio “cut aria”, during the end of the conference celebrations, you would conclude that it was a successful conference …..until when you contrast with it the dirge like “Sheeray” of The First Lady which left one wondering whether she was attending a requiem.
We all know that our First Lady can hold her own when it comes to dance floor gymnastics. President Bio beat her hands down that day, as we saw him “sen am go don”.
However, it will be folly to assume that the nominations, selections and elections during this 14th delegates’ conference was all smooth sailing. Like any such political processes, it is obvious that with several candidates come several opposing camps.
The position of National Chairman was so hotly contested that you would be forgiven to think that Jimmy Battillo Songa had won the Presidential election. The SLPP successfully presented a picture of UNITY to the world. It was like there had been no arguments, no “suck teeth”, or even “bad yaie” throughout the campaigns and during the elections process.
But as we all know, the competitions were fierce, with suggestions of presidential splits across the political canopy of the party. What we saw from the SLPP’s 14th National Delegates Convention was like a duck, paddling and working very hard inside the water, while we saw a smiling and calm face.
What does that say about political expediency?
What the SLPP showed here was a mark of political maturity. It showed the duck personality, that in difficult times, you behave like a duck. You keep calm and appear unruffled on the surface but keep paddling away like crazy. This is what many would describe as political expediency.
Although there were rumours of splits within the party, President Bio should be congratulated for knitting the party into presenting a united front. There were rumours that President Bio and his wife respectively supported the opposing candidates for the position of the National Chairman. If this is anything to go by, it means that there was a loser and a winner in the Bio household.
I wouldn’t want to be a party to all the pillow- talk and dining room conversations that took place around that subject. Suffice it to say that if President Bio can successfully navigate such political rapids and keep Fatima Bio “smiling” after the outcome, and if President Bio can get the SLPP dancing and singing from the same hymn sheet, that is a mark of leadership wrapped in political expediency.
Good leaders should know that some debates and arguments are better conducted away from the public eye, instead of dumping their baskets of dirty laundry all over social media or in public. In polarised situations, most people would rather do what is right than what they think is practical. Others will do the reverse.
Is there a lesson for the Opposition APC party here?
One of the running themes that came out of the SLPP national delegate convention is UNITY. If there was a political party that ever needed an injection of UNITY, it is the APC. If there was ever a time to need such UNITY, it is NOW. If anything, the APC needs to be prescribed an overdose of Unity on steroids.
Whether we like it or not, what happened at the Bintumani Conference centre last week, should be a moment of reflection for the opposition APC. Just like the APC, the SLPP has its internal issues to keep a uniformed voice, vision or political nomenclature.
Sierra Leoneans might be desperate for a viable political party that will provide effective opposition for the benefit of the country. Sierra Leoneans are not looking for rhetorics and grandstanding.
However, if the APC should provide an effective and viable opposition to the SLPP, shouldn’t it start by giving the nation a UNITED party in the first place? If the party is ready to return to power, ready to reign again, shouldn’t it be seen as one that is united enough to sing from the same hymn sheet and lead the nation as one?
It might sound like a broken record, but many would recall that Dr Samura Kamara’s emergence as the APC flagbearer in 2018 was sold to the public, as the result of a disunited party.
The public was led to believe that Samura Kamara (Photo), a bureaucrat became the flagbearer because the 18 APC presidential aspirants at the time could not agree on nominating their flagbearer candidate.
It was reportedly left to former president Ernest Bai Koroma to do the honours. The rest is history that continues to haunt the APC to this day. We were left to think that the party was loaded with ego maniacs who refused to let the E go.
Is it time for the APC to choose political expediency over ego centrism?
Under normal circumstances, most communities would prefer leaders who do not put political expediency before the commitments to those they supposedly represent.
Our communities deserve leaders who can and want to work together. Interestingly, times have changed and no longer normal. But there can be no better illustration of how times have changed than juxtaposing the SLPP and APC today.
During the days of the late President Siaka Stevens, who many begrudgingly refer to as the “father of the APC, the party was traditionally known for its political expediency. In those days, APC supporters largely voted for the APC party and not the candidate.
It was common practice to see candidates with no affiliation to a geographical area being imposed on the people. The allegiance and loyalty to the party was so strong that people used to joke, that even if you give an APC party symbol to a goat, the people will vote for it.
Judging by the fervent and reverent nature of its members and supporters at the time, it was difficult to argue with such an assertion. Those were the days, when the party was bigger than any single individual. Can you say the same today? Was that the case in 2018? Is that what is going to happen this time, ahead of 2028?
Ironically, it is beginning to feel like the SLPP is slowly shedding its traditional character of disjointedness that kept them in the doldrums of opposition and a permanent state of political coma.
The internal political intrigues climaxed when its leader, late Salia Jusu Sherriff jumped ship and joined the APC party in the 80s. Although many attribute this to forced integration, thanks to Pa Sheki’s one-party state, the promise of becoming the finance minister as opposed to Opposition Leader might have proved too alluringly tempting.
Some might be inclined to see it as political expediency on his part; if you can’t beat them, join them. Or was it better to be a king in hell than a slave in heaven?
Is all that glitters gold in the SLPP camp or all just calm, cool and cozy before the storm?
Notwithstanding the swimming duck impression, it would be folly to conclude that the SLPP is plain sailing. Just like the APC, the SLPP has its own potential election/selection headache for a flagbearer.
Having successfully negotiated the political rapids for the position of National Chairman, Batilo Songa was quick to re-echo a rallying call for unity but also cautioned against the hazards of premature political gymnastics for the main dance, the party flagbearer position. In other words, Batilo warned the SLPP against dancing itself lame when the main dance was yet to come.
He alluded to any such exercises as distractions from President Bio’s yet to be concluded agenda and warned against camps, which might have mushroomed in the run up to the convention. There is a mark of leadership.
There are many neutrals who would see this as a learning curve and moment of reflection for the APC. Others would rather indulge the party to revert to business as usual.
Many believe that UNITY will be one of the APC’s strongest suit, if it were to return to political hegemony. However, if the APC party should unite and sing with one voice, it will require a leader with an insurmountable amount of emotional intelligence and people-carrier traits. This is not about popularity but about the vision to put country and party first.
It is about the practicalities and nuances of devising a winning formula. Suffice it to say that if current situations are anything to go by, the APC would need some serious political surgery to achieve this.
If “a chick that will grow into a cock is spotted the very day it is hatched” is an adage to go by, then one would say that the SLPP convention presented at face value, a party that is united and determined to win the 2028 election.
Some would even think that 2028 is in the bag. But that was the convention for national party positions. The proof of the pudding will come with the flagbearer and running mate positions.
Many would hope that the SLPP party would not dance itself lame when the main dance is yet to come. As for the APC, many long for UNITY, UNITY and UNITY as the first step, on the long road to perdition.
Don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave the room.
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