As the clock ticks towards the 2028 general elections, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) is heading into its most difficult political transition in two decades, with tough times ahead that could determine the party’s survival in power.
For the first time since 2007, the SLPP will go into a presidential election without President Julius Maada Bio as its flagbearer. And that reality is causing deep cracks, quiet lobbying, and open anxiety within the party.
Unlike the All People’s Congress (APC), which has a history of managing succession battles, the SLPP has always struggled with transition. From the late Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to Solomon Berewa in 2007, the party has never successfully transferred power from one elected leader to another.
Now history is repeating itself. Multiple power centres have emerged. Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, and several cabinet ministers and senior party stalwarts are all believed to be eyeing the flag, but none has openly declared.
Party insiders say the battle is no longer about who is most popular with the grassroots, but who can secure President Bio’s blessing, control the party structure, and keep the SLPP coalition of South-East and Western Area intact.
“The SLPP is facing three transitions at once,” a senior SLPP MP told The Informant Newspaper. “Transition from Bio, transition from a wartime generation to a younger generation, and transition from a party in power to a party that must convince people again. That is tough.”
President Bio is caught between protecting his legacy and managing ambitions. If he anoints a successor too early, he risks becoming a lame duck President with two years left. If he waits too long, the succession fight could turn bloody and split the party.
Already, there are whispers of two camps: the “Continuity Camp” pushing for a candidate who will protect the Bio legacy, and the “Reform Camp” pushing for a new face who can appeal to disgruntled youth and floating voters.
The transition is happening at a time when the government is battling economic pressures, inflation, exchange rate volatility, youth unemployment and the cost of living. Bank Governor Dr. Ibrahim Stevens himself admitted this week that monetary policy must balance inflation control with growth.
The SLPP can no longer campaign on promises. In 2028, it will have to campaign on its record. And that record will be judged in the markets of Waterloo, the streets of Kenema, and the ghettos of Freetown.
To make matters worse for SLPP, the opposition APC is using this period to rebrand. By releasing a tough 15-point vetting criteria for its flagbearer, the APC is projecting itself as a party serious about cleaning up its image and presenting a credible alternative.
While SLPP is struggling to manage its internal succession, APC is focusing on electability and unity, a narrative that could appeal to undecided voters.
“The 2028 election will not be won by slogans like ‘No Stranger to State House.’ It will be won by who the people trust to fix the economy and unite the country,” said political analyst Mr Mustapha Kabba.
For now, inside SLPP, the mood is cautious. Everyone knows the stakes. Everyone knows that without President Bio on the ballot, the party must work twice as hard to win.
And time is no longer on their side.