Koidu City, Eastern Region, Saturday 4 February 2023 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has received members of the opposition All People’s Congress, APC, Coalition for Change, C4C, National Grand Coalition, NGC, and other members of the Limba community and support groups of the former Vice President, Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana in Kono.
The massive number of declarations of support for the President, who doubles as the leader of the governing Sierra Leone Peoples Party, SLPP, brought in new converts, among them 10 councilors, regional and district executive members of the C4C and card-carrying members of the main opposition APC as well as those of the third largest party, NGC.
Kalilu Koroma of brought in 42 members and Fatmata Fofana brought 69 members of the APC who were later joined by the Eastern Region Women’s Leader for C4C, Mami Feremusu Kakue, the former Bike Rider chairman, Tamba Komba, the Constituency Secretary, Sahr Saquee and the popular Alhaji Yengema accompanied by colleagues of the ‘Trust The Process Support group’.
In his remarks, President Julius Maada Bio said: “I want to officially welcome you to this noble party. You are no strangers and you know what we stand for – ‘One Country, One People’. As much as Kono has previously decided to set the standards, as far as we are concerned, Kono is still part of Sierra Leone.
“Therefore, as a government, we did not starve the district of funds, both for the city and district councils, to ensure that they grow and the leadership continues to do the things that will ensure the transformation of the district”.
The President thanked them for their decision to see the need to come back to the SLPP so that all of them could join hands for the development of the country, adding that they all could develop when we were together.
He used the opportunity to appeal to them all and other members of the party to be welcoming of their brothers and sisters, knowing that the political space was big enough to discourage the thinking that when more people joined in they could deprive others of their positions in the party.
“The fact that Kono district was taken by a single party in the 2018 elections means they were better organized. So, we want you to bring along that better organisation to our party. Come June 2023, you will deliver all the seats in the district,” he urged.
One of the leaders of the defecting councilors, Brima Moigua of Ward 095, said, “This is the first phase of declaration. More councilors and other members are coming in the subsequent declarations. We are not coming to fight for any position. We have one mission – to work with you side by side to transform Sierra Leone under the umbrella of the SLPP party.
“We have seen reasons to return. Some of us have decided to return after we realised that there is every reason to support our sister, the First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, and our brother, the Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who is deputy leader of the party”.
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