Why Will SLPP Not Reclaim State House before 2027

Prof. Akintola Wise, one of the notable historians to ever grace Fourah Bay College once said to his class full of young and promising students, “History teaches that history teaches nothing”. If this adage is anything to go by, then suffice it to say that the general feeling, which is doggedly making wild rounds in the streets of Sierra Leone – that SLPP won’t reclaim political leadership anytime soon – can’t be shrugged off as mere illusion. (Photo: Photo: Christian Sesay Jr, author)

It is becoming evidently clear that the apprehensions of an SLPP opposition beyond 2027 is as worrisome as it is frightening for those who vividly remember how the then incumbent SLPP party threw away its valuable advantage to an APC that was still wiggling its way out from obscurity.

To some political pundits, the writings are once again clearly displayed on the wall for all to see. And, each day I look at them, my heart skips a beat because what I see is a gloomy picture hanging over the future of SLPP. An image that reminds me of how good they had it, until victory was snatched away by the laser focused APC machinery.

The perennial internal bickering within the SLPP party coupled with the intimidation of other aspirants by the paopa camp, and the infamous seizure of the SLPP headquarter in Freetown by the paopa cabal does not signify a unified party that is intent on winning back State House. The continuity of dysfunction in the party only signals that a reckless and unserious SLPP is once again slowly rearing its ugly head much to the consternation of many independent minded Sierra Leoneans who are not blindfolded by political colors.

As a reminder, 2007 election was SLPP’S to loose, and they lost it in style. From the moment the party’s hegemony, headed by then President Kabba, sidelined Charles Margai who had helped keep the party from extinction during the Pa Sheki one-party rule, SLPP began its free fall from grace to grass. With Kabba, who was unfortunately lame-ducked by his own SLPP, the party’s wannabe king makers forced down the throats of others, a Solomon Berewa’s candidacy that was an unpopular and outdated braggadocio politician, and whose rightful place perhaps belonged to a dusty shelf in the Sierra Leone library.

Prior to that event, and by the actions and inactions of the SLPP Tejan Kabba government, Hinga Norman, a selfless hero during the civil war, who fought with bravery to reestablish the SLPP government, was condemned to a humiliating and untimely death. This loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the family and all truth loving SLPP supporters. The impact of that ungratefulness shown meant that the SLPP party would provide APC with the impetus to penetrate deeper into SLPP strongholds in the south and south east, a strong reason for Ernest Koroma’s presidential victories.

One would expect that the bitter lessons of 2007 and 2012 elections would have been learned. But I am afraid not so fast. Instead, the party continues to immerse in petty squabbles and the taking it by force mentality (Paopa) continues to hold the party hostage.

2017 election is fast approaching. It has the potential to lift SLPP out from the cold. However, it carries similar thrust to relegate the party into the dustbin for another decade. Through divine intervention, a man who by any measuring standard is deemed as a savior for the SLPP party and the country as a whole, has emerged in the person of one of United Nation’s finest diplomats, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella. Most pundits believe that it will be interesting to see who APC puts up against a fine, and vastly experienced diplomat like Yumkella, should he gain his party’s nod for the presidency.

To defeat the politically savvy APC machinery that boasts of 99 strategies to victory, an astute candidate like Kandeh Yumkelka, with lots of proven and tested international service and project accomplishments to his name won’t be a bad idea. After all, for an opposition presidential candidate from SLPP to win the general election the person must have what it takes to win the South-east, Kono and put up a strong show in Freetown? Alternatively, the candidate must win the south-east, at least one or two districts in the North plus Freetown.

The rationale for these electoral trajectories is validated by the voting patterns of the past two elections, which are indicative of the demographic complexion of present day Sierra Leone. The north and western areas, key APC strongholds are largely populated relative to the south and east. And at this moment, there is no political aspirant from the SLPP presidential bandwagon poised to thread along these herculean pathways to presidential victory other than Kandeh Yumkella.

Obviously, Julius Maada Bio does not have what it takes to win a single chiefdom in the north. In Freetown, his support has faded over the years, especially with the emergence of the KKY Movement and Yumkella, a more experienced and trustworthy candidate vying for the flag-bearer. Unlike Bio, Yumkella is poised to capture Kambia, Freetown, and pockets of other places in the Makeni and Port Loko districts. When you add those places to the south east, an SLPP victory is assured.

However, based on ill-politically motivated attacks on Yumkella’s persona and the transiency of the Paopa camp, I doubt if the electorate in Sierra Leone will ever be opportune to witness this match up. And if Yumkella did not get the flagbearer nomination, the chances of SLPP regaining power is slimmer than the chance of an elephant going through the eyes of a needle

By Christian F. Sesay, Jr.

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