The discussion of whether President Bio will sail through to his second term of office like his predecessors, Presidents Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma is now left with voters to decide come 24th June, 2023.
Looking at the first term in office of Presidents Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma they were re- elected for another second term of Office of the President based on what they told the people that they would do during campaign battles and Manifestos. Despite the fact that they could not live up to all of their promises, but the people were satisfied with what they did at those challenging times of their presidency.
How Kabbah survived
During his first term of office, there was no peace in the country as the nation was slowly recovering from its 11 years civil war which had a devastating effect on the lives of the people and the economy. The AFRC interregnum led by Major Jonny Paul Koroma helped to create more burdens for Late President Kabbah’s first term office. But the people stood firmly with him in ensuring that democracy was restored despite there were no active economic activities until democracy was restored in 1998. Soon after the restoration of democracy, the January 6th 1999 invasion broke therefore leading to lot of civil unrest before the Lome‘ Peace accord was signed in July 1999.
To ensure that democracy and national peace prevail, President Kabbah absurd RUFP Leader Corporal Foday Saybana Sankoh and AFRC Leader Jonny Paul Koroma and conducted a peaceful election in 2002.
Even though the economy was nothing good to write home about, Pa Kabbah was re-elected for his second term of office for the national peace and democracy he was able to usher in despite things were not economically beautiful but people were satisfied with the economy and desperately in need of peace and free space for citizens to express their thoughts and opinions without being locked up in cell. And the fact that the country was just returning from a civil war the prices of goods and commodities and basic services were not sky rocketed as majority households could afford to buy a bag of rice.
Why Ernest succeeded
Former President Ernest Bai Koroma was re-elected for his second term of office because he lived up to most of his campaign promises during his first term in office. During 2007 election campaign, he promised that he will light the capital city Freetown in his first 100 days in office to cushion the effect of the almost dire economy and he did just that.
It could be recalled that Freetown was on records as the darkest city in the world and the swift intervention of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma led to big boost in the economy as businesses started booming and its restored investor’s confidence. Because an economy cannot thrive where energy supply was inadequate and intermittent, Mr. Koroma thought it fit to use electricity as his core campaign promises to the electorate.
The boom in the mineral through the intervention of mining companies like the African Minerals, London Mining, Sierra Rutile Ltd, Addax Bio- Energy, and et al led to massive job opportunities for the youthful population as the city became quickly decongested. This rapid economic boom during Ernest Bai Koroma’s first term in office led to his clean sweep victory during the 2012 Presidential election against current President Maada Bio.
The citizens were somehow satisfied with the economy as the country’s gross domestic product was considered to be one of the fastest growing GDPs. Due to these so many campaign promises that he was able to make a dream come true, Sierra Leoneans decided again to re-elect him for a second term in office.
A case for Bio
During his campaign promises ahead of the 2018 elections, President Bio made pronouncement of a Free and quality education for Basic and Secondary school children if they voted him as President. And President Bio did not waste anytime time to launch and implement his flagship project just after he had been inaugurated as president. He did not only promised free and quality education but free school feeding programme which saw the influx of two million less privilege children enrolled into government and government assisted schools. His human capital development agenda focused on education, health and food security is another prerequisite for Mr. Bio’s re-election and his assent to the GEWE bill that is giving 30% quota of active women’s representation, access to rural electricity, and the repeal of the draconian and obnoxious criminal and seditious libel law and the abolishment of the death penalty. His government has drastically reduced sexual and gender base violence menace by revisiting the 2012 Sexual Penetration Act and to see victims are given justice, he established the Special Court for Sexual Penetration at the High Court so that the perpetrators will be given a speedy and fair trial.
The Big Elephant in the room
To fix the economy has been an herculean task for President Bio and this has besieged his chances of being re-elected on 24th June. The current economy realities on the ground with its devastating effects on the lives of poor Sierra Leoneans with bloated and skyrocket prices of goods and commodities and basic services. Forgetting the economy, another impediments for Bio’s re-election is the massive and innocent killings of ordinary Sierra Leoneans ranging from the August 8-10 economic protest, the April 29 Pademba Road killings, the Tombo, Thonko Limba, Makeni and Mile 91 killings, the removal of 10 elected MPs of the APC by an High Court ruling are all deterrents for Bio’s second term in office.
However, the First Gentle man is confident of winning the polls looking at the recent alliance he has formed with the Leader and 2018 flag bearer of the National Grand Coalition party, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella dubbed as a ‘Progressive Alliance’ and the political cross-over of former Vice President, Victor Bockarie Foh and Alhaji Alpha Kanu who served in various positions during the past APC regime and other prominent APCians who have recently pitched tent with the SLPP.
For President Bio, the economy is a global challenge which is as a result of the twin shock of the deadly COVID-19 and the devastating effect of the Russia and Ukraine war and is not seeing that as a deterrent for not winning the June 24th polls.