Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Up and down this country, one question on the lips of many Sierra Leoneans is: Will President Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio leave office at the end of his second and final term in 2028?
This question has been eloquently answered by President Bio himself. He has made it very clear that at the end of his second and final term in 2028, he would retire peacefully from frontline politics. From the look of things, he might end up becoming a master farmer.
Man of his Word
President Bio is a man of his word. Before the 2023 elections, many people had speculated that he was determined to postpone the elections.
To prove the proverbial Doubting Thomases wrong, the President got the date for the 2023 elections to be announced exactly fourteen months to the exact date of June 24, 2023.
War on Drugs
Many people are speculating that, President Bio wants to use the war on drugs and substance abuse as a perfect excuse to prolong his stay in office.
Another school of thought holds the view that the way the President is commissioning new development projects and building bridges across the country shows that, he is not ready to leave office in 2028.
Some people are wondering why President Bio has become so active on the global stage especially when he has less than three years left to be in office.
Another school of thought believes that the President should now slow down and prepare his exit plan.
His two immediate predecessors Ernest Bai Koroma and Ahmad Tejan Kabbah showed signs of tiredness during the last two years of their Presidency.
Being a retired Army General, President Bio appears to be very active at both national and international levels. It is even said that the President enjoys the global stage more than the local stage.
History Made
President Bio is the first Sierra Leonean head of state to combine the roles of President of the UN Security Council, Coordinator of C-10 on the reform of the UN Security Council and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. No Sierra Leonean head of state ever reached this height of their Presidency. None!
President Bio is ready to Go
No matter what anybody says, President Bio has consistently demonstrated that, he is a man of his word. He has demonstrated this in the implementation of his party’s 2023 Manifesto under the Big 5 Game Changer.
A Suitable Successor
President Bio should be very careful with the way he handles his succession plan within the SLPP. He cannot afford to get it wrong.
President Bio must ensure that the SLPP succeeds itself in 2028 by supporting the most popular and easily sellable candidate as the party’s standard bearer. Such an important decision should not be taken lightly.
The SLPP needs a Presidential candidate that is easily acceptable by the party itself and the country. A Presidential candidate that presents a unifying or at least a non-threatening posture to the opposition strongholds. A controversial Presidential candidate can only spell doom for the party.
The SLPP needs a Presidential candidate that has demonstrated loyalty to the party, that is dependable, that has the ability to attract support in the North and Western Area, that has national and international appeal, charismatic, highly educated and one who easily understands the dynamics of regional and global politics.
President Bio will definitely leave office in 2028 after presiding over a peaceful, free, fair and transparent election. Whoever succeeds President Bio in 2028 has to ensure that, the country is united and the security of the state is maintained.
Source: Sierraloaded
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