PDP surfaces after a lull
The Late Honorable Thaimu Bangura was the founding leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP-Sorbeh). Sorbeh was one of the strongest opposition parties that were vibrant enough during the reign of the APC’s One Party rule.
News of the PDP’s waking from its long slumber is being greeted with joy as many who still believe that the country needs a third force to challenge the All Peoples Congress party (APC) and Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) in the battle towards handling the state’s stewardship believe that the PDP will rise to the task even at the eleventh hour for the November polls.
The PDP was vibrant at a time when elections -violence were inevitable. It is believed that the PDP is coming back into the realm to fish it position by starting to ensure that their parliamentary candidates secure their seats.
Political pundits and concern citizens have started asking pertinent but salient questions with regards to the party’s’ impact in the November 17 elections.
Apparently, the ruling APC and the opposition SLPP are heading neck to neck in terms of majority support.
There was this recent tour of the president to the three (Ks) Kono, Kenema, and Kailahun counties. Many have said the tour was very much successful. On the other hand, the presidential nominee of the SLPP, Rtd. Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, is conducting a tour of the United Kingdom as he recently visited the Chatham House in London UK, where the Sierra Leonean community residing in that part of the world are impressed with his speech encompassing lots of transformative messages.
Political analysts are anticipating a discreet support for the PDP-Sorbeh, considering their timing which to them is politically untimely as the race has already begun.
A senior citizen who prefers anonymity said,” the return of the PDP-Sorbeh in the political arena at this point in time seems very premature” but, he continued, “considering the legalities with the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the already concluded Voters Registration exercise, with only seven months for the elections to hold, one may be tempted to underscore a total failure for PDP-Sorbeh but that conclusion might as well be premature in the eyes of ethnic voting majority”, he concluded.
It’s undeniable that tribal votes are very common in this country’s elections history, i.e., the Mendes, Temnes, and the Limbas are the largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone and have been displaying these unhealthy voting styles in the previous elective conventions lately.
Looking at the political status-quo in the country, most of the Temnes are pro-APC’s who voted for the ruling party in 2007 and have registered again to cast their votes come November 17 for the APC party for a job well done.
But, if PDP-Sorbeh participation in this year’s polls is true; will the Temne people return to them on tribal grounds and cast unhealthy tribal votes? This is the million dollar question being asked by pundits while considering the party’s motto which reads SORBEH a Temne word which literally means SERIOUSNESS.
By E. Awotelli-Cole
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