Berewa Can Still Get More Votes Than Bio If…

Hello folks, last week TRACE gave his view about the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). TRACE is of the view that SLPP would only clearly see when they first take off the log in their eyes otherwise they will be embroiled in more confusion than what is happening presently.

 TRACE was sitting with some guys in the city of Kenema in the east of the country. Those guys were in a bitter argument about the current situation of the SLPP and how it was before. On one side of the fence was the argument that Solomon Berewa was never power thirsty which was why he stepped down after losing the elections while the other opined that the only way out for SLPP to come back to power will be a Madda Bio leadership.

TRACE was tapping his feet and nodding his head whiles those guys were debating. One of the guys pointed at one thing that made TRACE reflect about the SLPP presidential aspirants which was that Bio got the higher votes than Pa Berewa.

From the onset TRACE was in pondered on what that guy said. TRACE came to the realization that such statement should not have been said by that guy. The difference between the two was incomparable; the dead versus the living.

SLPP is the oldest political party in the Sierra Leone and is still in disrepute because of one person want to take it as his personal property and that person is ready to do all within his power to continue to hold on to such position till death. Ignorantly, some members are supporting such a move because of their selfish interest.

After intensive battle, in 1996 SLPP returned to prominence, as its candidate Ahmad Tejan Kabbah won the Presidential Election, receiving 59.5% of the popular vote in a second round against John Karefa-Smart of the United National People's Party (UNPP). In the election held on May 14, 2002, the party won 69.9% of the popular vote and 83 out of 112 seats in the House of Representatives, and its candidate in the Presidential Election, Kabbah, won 70.1% of the vote and was re-elected.

At the SLPP's national convention in Makeni on September 3–4, 2005, Vice-President Solomon Berewa was selected by the SLPP as its leader and its 2007 Presidential candidate. He received 291 votes, while Charles Margai received 34, Julius Maada Bioreceived 33, and J. B. Dauda received 28."Vice President Berewa Leads SLPP", statehouse-sl.org, September 6, 2005.

In the Presidential Election, the SLPP candidate, Berewa, took second place in the first round, winning 38.3% of the vote against 44.3% for the APC candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma. August 24, 2007. A second round of the Presidential Election was held in September; Koroma prevailed with 54.6% of the vote against 45.4% for Berewa.

In keeping with the SLPP constitution, which requires its leader to resign if the party loses a national election, under his leadership Berewa resigned as party leader on October 17, 2007, leaving Alhaji Sulaiman Jah (late) as acting leader, October 18, 2007.

Here the trouble began, in 2011; Julius Maada Bio became SLPP's nominee for the 2012 Presidential Election. He beat Usman Boie Kamara, who came in second place. Since that time the history of the SLPP changed from a party that accept constitutional rules to a party of thugs and counter attack.

Before contesting for the SLPP flagebare, on January 16, 1996, Bio led a military coup, ousting captain Valentine Strasser following a division within the governing Supreme Council of State (SCS) over whether to seek peace with the RUF before multi-party elections, planned for March 1996.

When you look at the trend of the Presidential candidates for SLPP from the days of President Kabba, you will realized that Bio put on the worse performance for the party.

Summary of the 11 August 2007 and 8 September President of Sierra Leone election results

Candidate	Party	1st round		2nd round
		Votes	%	Votes	%
Ernest Bai Koroma	All People's Congress (APC)	815,523	44.34%	950,407	54.62%
Solomon Berewa	Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)	704,012	38.28%	789,651	45.38%
Charles Margai	People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC)	255,499	13.89%
Andrew Turay	Convention People's Party (CPP)	28,610	1.56%
Amadu Jalloh	National Democratic Alliance (NDA)	17,748	0.96%
Kandeh Baba Conteh	Peace and Liberation Party (PLP)	10,556	0.57%
Abdul Kady Karim	United National People's Party (UNPP)	7,260	0.39%
Total: (turnout 75.8%)		1,839,208	100.00%	1,740,058	100.00%
Source: National Electoral Commission (first round), National Electoral Commission (second round)

TRACE believed Berewa should have even done better than this if some of his not were not have been nullified by the Commission.

Now take a look at the Bio – Koroma election.

SIERRA LEONEAN GENERAL ELECTION, 2012

Nominee	Ernest Bai Koroma	Julius Maada Bio
Running mate	Samuel Sam-Sumana	Kadi Sesay
Popular vote	1,314,881	819,185
Percentage	58.7%	37.4%

This is a man that was defeated in the first round of the election, can you imagine which the case of Solomon Berewa was never.

Such result called for change of leadership or flagebear. Such percentage shows total failed and when you fail in such way, you deserve nothing but to expel you according to the rule of that institution but it seems that some people want to reject the rules of the institution to that of their own selfish gains. Election is all about numbers; it is better the number increase in such a way that everybody can benefit than having few people enjoying such.

The result above can clearly speak for itself that the popularity, it has showed that a change must be made in the leadership of the party and it should be made very fast.

The issue of “Paopa” should be a thing of the past because SLPP badly needs peace and as major figures within the party ready to embrace such, their will should be granted.

TRACE doesn’t want to see a situation of continuous fighting either by worlds or physically. TRACE wants to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Sierra Leone, a country that is suffering from economic crunch. TRACE is still waiting for Eagle for SLPP; the Eagle that can lead the party to another leave as in the case of President Kabbah who won 70.1% not 37.4% Bio and it can only be you…