During a rally held at the Wusum Field in Makeni Bombali District on June 7th, 2023, Fatima Maada Bio, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, addressed a large crowd of supporters, sympathizers, and traditional leaders of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). She urged the people of Makeni to remain affiliated with the All Peoples Congress (APC) but vote for the SLPP in the upcoming general elections. Her message emphasized the importance of continued development in crucial sectors such as Education, Health, Gender, Agriculture, Youth Empowerment, and Rural Electrification for the future of Sierra Leone and its citizens, particularly the children and families.
Fatima Maada Bio implored the audience to vote wisely and support President Bio in carrying forward his development initiatives. She encouraged them not to waste their vote on the APC but instead maintain their affiliation with the party while voting for the SLPP. She asserted that Sierra Leone needs an SLPP government at this time.
Dr Fatima Maada Bio stressed that the focus of the elections should be on substantive matters such as the manifesto promises and development plans of the political parties, as well as the issues affecting the country. She acknowledged that the people's vote in June 2023 would not be solely for President Bio but also for key programs like Free Quality Education, School Feeding Programs, Women's Empowerment, Hands Off Our Girls campaign, Free Sanitary Pads Distributions, Rural Electrification, and Youth Empowerment.
President Julius Maada Bio, the leader of the SLPP and the President of Sierra Leone, expressed his gratitude to the party leadership in the district and commended the massive turnout of people in Makeni to welcome him. He presented a detailed account of his party's 2023 SLPP People's Manifesto, outlining the reasons why the people of Makeni should vote for him on June 24th. President Bio earnestly appealed to the people of Makeni and Bombali District as a whole to reject violence and ensure peaceful elections.
Former Vice President of the APC government and ex-Minister of Information and Communications also called upon the people to join the SLPP and vote for President Bio in the upcoming elections. He provided compelling reasons for the residents of Makeni to transition their support from the APC to the SLPP.
Various stakeholders within the SLPP, including Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, the Leader of the NGC, expressed their gratitude and reaffirmed their commitment to the party's objectives. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Prince Alex Harding, the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party.