Let those ostrich journalists with their heads buried in the sand continue to fool themselves and their pitiful readers. The Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) are nowhere near to the corridors of State House, whether they choose Maada Bio once again or Kandeh Yumkella. Both men are not presently capable of wrestling power out of the hands of the RULING All People’s Congress (APC ). And the reason is clear–The people of Sierra Leone prefer the APC over the SLPP presently.
The bye-elections last weekend which pitted the traditional and bitter rivals the APC and SLPP together in a duel of honor in Freetown and the SLPP strongholds in the South East clearly said it all.
Despite all the noise from the SLPP about presumed sinking APC popularity and the over-hyped belief that the Sam Sumana saga hurt the APC’s cause, the ruling party instead went on and proved the detractors wrong on all counts by steamrolling the SLPP everywhere including in that high-faluting bastion of their’s —The Kailahun Court Barray. The APC soundly defeated the SLPP in Freetown and Kailahun and in their other stronghold of Kenema, an independent candidate defeated the SLPP, while the APC came an impressive second in another SLPP stronghold, Bonthe, which was the only place the SLPP managed a pyrrhic victory.
If Saturday’s bye-elections results are not worrying to the SLPP, it shows how “serious” they are as a party. The results showed that the SLPP has not dented the popularity , credibility and acceptability of the ruling APC. President Ernest Koroma’s Agenda For Change which metamorphosed into the Agenda For Prosperity definitely holds a treasured place in the hearts of Sierra Leoneans than the scorch-earth, shambolic and chaotic politics of the SLPP. In their minds’ eyes, our people envision a better Sierra Leone under APC rule and masterdom than under SLPP’s uncertain and unpromising control . The Sierra Leone people have made comparisons and have realized that national development in Sierra Leone is only possible whenever the APC is in power.
The SLPP do not look like a promising alternative to the APC. The rift within the SLPP is widening and it does not matter whom they make flagbearer. They will still lose the 2018 elections if the APC do not self-destruct. This was the message the citizens of Freetown, Kenema, Kono and Kailahun delivered the SLPP last Saturday. Kandeh Yumkella and Brima Keita’s big talk about Yumkella being very popular in the Western Area and thus being capable of delivering Constituency 107 proved mere beer talk. The most disgraceful defeat was in Kailahun where the APC took the spoils in John Benjamin’s own ward . The APC is definitely building some stranglehold in the SLPP strongholds.
It is now up to the APC to build on the gains of November 14 to establish complete supremacy in Sierra Leone.
Kudos to President Ernest Bai Koroma for providing the APC the platform , the momentum and the inspiring and productive leadership through which the party continues soaring over the SLPP. President Koroma enabled it by taking socio-economic and political developments to the SLPP strongholds and by mastering the politics of national integration . Under APC rule, South-Easterners do not only see more progress in their territories but they have also noticed that only the APC provides the enabling environment and opportunities for them to better their lot and improve their quality of life. They have noticed that the grassroots party that it is, the APC caters more for the welfare of the ordinary man in the street than the SLPP. Therefore, they preferred the APC over the SLPP in last Saturday’s bye-elections and it looks like it will be replicated in 2018.
