Sierra Leone’s June 2023 elections may serve as a ‘big lesson’ for most politicians.

That is in the event power changes hands to a new leader and government.

Though signs are not clear which party will win 2023 general elections as both sides seem confident of a victory.

The atmosphere is hot as campaigns have begun with the country’s dominant political groups canvassing electorates to give them a landslide victory.

The ruling party, SLPP, is sure of reclaiming victory again to maintain a five-year second term in office. The greener party has forged what NGC’s new party recruits had referred to as ‘strategic alliance’.

NGC-SLPP alliance is formed to suppress the strongest opposition party, APC from having clear chances of an election victory.

The National Grand Coalition and Sierra Leone People’s Party have also swelled up support for the incumbent president Julius Maada Bio by recruiting other politicians from smaller opposition parties. NGC’s founder and presidential candidate for 2018 general elections, Dr Kandeh Yumkella, has been helping president Bio to influence public opinion in favour of SLPP in north Kambia district.

Earlier, other key politicians of newly formed political groups have joined president Bio’s bandwagon on his election victory campaign.

The law maker, Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina, was seen defending the sitting government over allegations of election’s rigging concerns raised by the main opposition, All People’s Congress party. He is notoriously known in the media circle to have dodged interviews by journalists whenever critical issues about the sitting government unfold.

Also judging from his light-weighted debates in parliament, Hon Lamina had been siding with the sitting government.

Once a critical voice at Tower hill house, he was later made head of mines committee. Most Sierra Leoneans, however, considered his appointment then as deserving one giving his background in mineral resources as his hails from a mining city, Kono, in the east of the country.

The young politician has backed the ruling government as he picks up the greener card membership.

The leader in parliament of C4C, Hon Lamina , (Coalition for Change) and three other MPs recently cross over to SLPP ahead of June 24 multi-tier elections.

Unlike in the past elections, 2023 elections spell doom on Sierra Leone’s traditional values and customs which are eroding with bad politics.

Traditional village legal elders who are expected to be non-political are seen openly campaigning for the ruling party.

Since they are custodians of the customs and traditions in Sierra Leone, traditional leaders are only expected to give homage to strangers, politicians and political groups in their respective chiefdoms at any time and during campaign periods.

Supposed a change of government happened, how would these local chiefs, who have openly declared their chiefdoms for president Bio, be seen in the eyes of their people?

Don’t these chiefdoms be sidelined in terms of development by a supposed new government?

Deflecting to another political group whose winning chances are unclear involve a lot of risks. Switching from one political group to another is a new bad gambling played by politicians in Sierra Leone.

Unlike new parties which came into existence in 2018 general elections, PMDC (People’s Movement for Democratic Change) party and leader have never abandoned her party supporters and ideology. Charles Margai, PMDC’s leader, has never left his party to wander in wilderness like Dr Yumkella and Chief Sam Sumana, founder and 2018 presidential leader of C4C party.

PMDC had paved the path for APC success in 2007 and 2012 general elections and later helped SLPP in 2018 to defeat the then ruling government APC. But the party still lives on with its political ideology. While the new political parties have their leaders deflected to SLPP and APC.

Charles Margai has again declared his support for APC but he still remains PMDC’s presidential candidate.

Traditionally, elections run-off are the periods in which parties are showing their support for either of the two leading political groups.

The drama by some NGC leaders and C4C might have moved Charles Margai to declare his support early for APC ahead of this year 2023 presidential elections.

Since minority parties don’t have any clear chances of winning elections in Sierra Leone, the rush to form coalitions might pose huge risks on them.

In the event of elections victory, power sharing within a coalition is obviously a challenging factor as the majority party expends more resources in campaigns and has large number of party members.

When a ruling party wins elections, deflectors to the opposing party are hardly considered in the new government.

In Sierra Leone, many politicians who deflected to APC and NGC in 2018 election were never appointed by president Bio to serve in his administration.

Equally so, SLPP ‘crossovers’ may face fateful disdain if power changes hands to Samura Kamara, the main opposition’s presidential contender.

The Kandehs of NGC and the Saa Liminas of C4C’s decisions to join SLPP for an election victory in June 2023 might backfire like the decision to deflect to APC close to 2018 general election by Chief Sumano Kapen, once SLPP’s chairman and leader.

As a dark cloud of uncertainty hangs over State House as to who is to become Sierra Leone’s next president, those who have deflected to the dominant winning parties, SLPP and APC, are believed by many political analysts to have taken riskier decisions.

By early July when a presidential winner will be officially announced, party deflectors would have eaten their cake at an early time.

And as the saying goes: “you cannot eat your cake and have it.”