Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) National Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa has urged constituency chairmen to wait for a directive from President Julius Maada Bio on the party’s next flagbearer ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Speaking in Bo, Songa framed the issue in religious terms, noting that party members, as Christians, believe in following commandments.
He suggested that if President Bio presents a name “as a commandment, saying ‘thou shalt be,’” he, as National Chairman, would respond by saying the party should “follow his way and follow the leader.” He also clarified that the SLPP has not yet officially declared any candidate for the position.
The remarks, first reported in local media including accounts matching coverage attributed to New Age Newspaper, have triggered debate within the party. Some SLPP supporters and stakeholders are calling for a free, fair, and transparent flagbearer election driven by party members rather than a directive from any single individual.
The comments come amid ongoing discussions about succession in the governing party. President Bio, who has led Sierra Leone since 2018 and was re-elected in 2023, is term-limited and cannot seek another term in 2028.
He has repeatedly stressed the need for unity and discipline, warning that the party’s biggest challenge ahead of the next elections could come from within rather than from the opposition.
In April 2026, at the SLPP’s 75th anniversary events, Bio outlined criteria for the next flagbearer, saying the person must be a unifier who commands respect across generations and regions, demonstrates vision and capacity to deliver, possesses moral authority, and can handle criticism while keeping the party together. He insisted the choice should not be driven by sentiment, faction, or entitlement and should emerge through a transparent democratic process.
Songa, elected National Chairman at the party’s 14th National Delegates Conference in 2025, has previously pledged loyalty to Bio’s agenda and stated that the flagbearer race would be conducted in a free, transparent, and credible manner in line with the party constitution. Bio has publicly reaffirmed confidence in Songa’s leadership, describing him as battle-tested and urging members to work through the chairman to maintain cohesion.
Questions of eligibility have also featured in earlier internal discussions. Under the SLPP’s August 2020 constitution, candidacy for flagbearer has been linked to the category of Distinguished Grand Chief Patron, with requirements including prior senior roles and a minimum period of membership and dues payment.
Party officials have previously named a limited number of individuals (including Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and several veterans) as currently meeting those thresholds, while noting that others mentioned in public speculation may not yet qualify. Surveys, such as one by the Institute for Governance Reform in late 2025, have shown an open field with no clear frontrunner among self-identified SLPP supporters, with figures such as Kandeh Yumkella, Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh, and First Lady Fatima Bio registering notable likeability and electability scores.
The latest intervention by the National Chairman has sharpened focus on how the SLPP will balance presidential influence, constitutional rules, and grassroots participation as it prepares for the post-Bio era.
