Bio Has No Constitutional Right To Choose Next SLPP Flagbearer – Ebema Gbi PRO Affirms
By Staff Writer
The Public Relations Officer of Ebema Gbi, Victor S.O. Davies, has maintained that President Julius Maada Bio has no constitutional authority under the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Constitution to unilaterally choose or impose the party’s next flagbearer.
Davies made the assertion while speaking on Liberty TV Online, amid growing debate within political circles over who should determine the SLPP’s next presidential candidate ahead of the 2028 general elections.
According to Davies, the selection of a flagbearer is a constitutional and democratic process that must be guided by the rules, procedures and provisions contained in the SLPP Constitution—not the personal preference of any individual, regardless of his or her position within the party.
“President Bio has no right to choose the next SLPP flagbearer and prevail on everyone to rally behind him. If the President does that, he could be in breach of the SLPP Constitution,” Davies stated.
His comments come against the backdrop of recent public discussions and controversies surrounding statements attributed to senior SLPP officials regarding President Bio’s potential role in determining or providing direction on the party’s next flagbearer.
Davies specifically criticised remarks attributed to SLPP National Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa, which suggested that President Bio could play a guiding role in the process leading to the emergence of the party’s next presidential candidate.
He described such a position as fundamentally wrong, arguing that no individual should be allowed to circumvent the established democratic procedures governing the selection of the party’s flagbearer.
According to him, while President Bio, as Leader of the SLPP, remains an influential figure within the party, his influence should not be confused with constitutional authority to handpick a successor.
Davies stressed that the next SLPP flagbearer must emerge through a transparent, democratic and constitutionally recognised process involving eligible party members and structures.
“The Constitution of the party must be respected. Nobody should impose a flagbearer on the membership of the SLPP,” he maintained.
The debate over the party’s next flagbearer has continued to generate intense political interest, particularly as President Bio approaches the end of his constitutionally mandated tenure.
With several names already being mentioned in political discussions as possible contenders, concerns are growing over whether the process will be open and competitive or influenced by powerful interests within the ruling party.
Davies’ intervention adds another voice to the increasingly heated debate over succession within the SLPP.
The fundamental question now confronting party members and political observers is whether the next flagbearer will emerge through an open democratic contest or whether the influence of the party’s leadership could shape the outcome.
As the race towards 2028 gradually gathers momentum, the battle over who succeeds President Bio as the SLPP’s presidential candidate is expected to become one of the most closely watched political developments in Sierra Leone.
