By Esther Wright
President Dr Julius Maada Bio was on the 29th December 2021 overwhelmingly endorsed as Flagbearer for the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) ahead of the 2023 Presidential Elections, after his nomination process went through without objections. The event took place at the Bo Mini Stadium.
He was nominated by Dr Prince Alex Harding and his nomination was seconded by Umaru Napoleon Koroma.
In a short acceptance speech, President Bio thanked the National Delegates’ Conference for the confidence reposed in him and assured them that he is willing and determined to keep the party in power and to win in the first ballot.
“I hereby accept to be the Flagbearer of the greatest party and the best thing that ever happened to this country, the Sierra Leone People’s Party. It is a great honour for me. You have made me your Flagbearer for the third time. This time we are going to make the main opposition look small. The All People’s Congress, APC, say they have 99 tactics, so I used my military tactic to beat them in the last elections.
“Meanwhile, after these internal elections, we must come together as a family and a united force. Let’s put the party together so that there will be no second round in the 2023 general elections. I will not disappoint you,” he assured.
The President, who was also proclaimed leader of the party and the Vice President, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, as his deputy following the adoption of the party’s amended constitution in Freetown, said he was happy to have been honoured and entrusted with the responsibility to lead the party to victory in the next general elections.
As the leader, he also adopted the newly constituted Independent Elections Monitoring Oversight Committee (IEMOC) after it was set up at a special National Executive Committee meeting in Port Loko, for the conduct of all elections at the 2021 delegates’ conference.
