As the June 24th Presidential, Parliamentary, and Local Councils' elections approach in Sierra Leone, politicians visit villages and towns across the country to campaign in secret. President Bio, of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), is making serious efforts to gain support from Sierra Leoneans in both SLPP and opposition strongholds.
The President is actively strengthening his base through regular engagement and delivering messages in the dominant language of the targeted areas. However, some people allege that messages conveyed in local languages contain information that instills fear in the local residents about the possible danger if the opposition wins the June elections.
Moreover, the President is also infiltrating the main opposition heartland with the support of some members of the opposition who have either directly declared for the ruling SLPP party or have indirectly shown their support for the SLPP while playing the political game.
Reading from a distance, it appears that President Bio and his SLPP party are executing a well-planned agenda based on data and figures, which guides them during the election process. However, the SLPP's campaign strategy of infusing fear in the minds of Sierra Leoneans to neutralize disenchantment amongst voters in the SLPP stronghold is unfortunate and unhealthy for national cohesion.
Although many Sierra Leoneans are disillusioned about the current economic situation in the country, including those in the SLPP stronghold, spreading divisive messages during campaigns to win elections is not a viable solution.
The leadership of the main opposition party, the All People's Congress (APC), needs to demonstrate that they have answers to the questions raised by the current economic hardships that Sierra Leoneans face. The APC must articulate achievable policies that reassure Sierra Leoneans that this set of APC leaders is different from the one that left the country in austerity in 2018 if they want to win the next elections.
It is crucial to note that Sierra Leoneans are not suffering under the SLPP government solely because they voted out the APC. Rather, they suffer because the ruling SLPP continued down the path of irresponsible and negligent governance that Sierra Leonean politicians have been known for in past decades.
In light of this, the APC must design mechanisms to peacefully counter the toxic messages being circulated in the SLPP strongholds and get their messages across. The APC should not take Sierra Leoneans for granted in the June 24th elections.