A debate has been growing inside the Sierra Leone Peopleโs Party as attention slowly shifts toward the question of who may contest for the partyโs leadership in the post-Bio era. Into this conversation stepped former SLPP Secretary-General Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, who has taken a firm position on the eligibility of several individuals whose names have been circulating on social and political platforms.
According to Tejan-Sie, most of those rumoured to be nurturing interest in the flagbearer position do not meet the basic requirements set out in the partyโs constitution. He stressed that the qualifications for flagbearer are not ceremonial but grounded in specific criteria that potential aspirants must satisfy long before expressing interest.
Among those whose names have been mentioned in recent weeks is First Lady Fatima Bio. Tejan-Sie made it clear that she, along with others popularly discussed in public spaces, would fall short of the constitutional yardstick. Although he did not single out every name on the informal lists circulating online, his message underscored a point that party insiders have been debating quietly: the SLPPโs leadership contest cannot simply be won through popularity or influence, but only through compliance with long-standing internal rules.
His remarks have already stirred discussion among party supporters and political observers, with some praising his intervention as a necessary reminder of institutional order, while others view it as an early sign of the deep contest to come.
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For now, the SLPP has not formally opened the race for its next flagbearer, and the party leadership has remained silent on the internal speculation. Yet Tejan-Sieโs comments signal what may become one of the most significant internal conversations as the party looks toward its future and the broader national political landscape.
