By Alpha Abu
In what is seen as a big coup for the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), the outgoing Mayor of Koidu in Kono District, Komba Mathew Sam joined the party in a well-attended declaration ceremony on Wednesday 1st March that was witnessed by President Julius Maada Bio.
The mayor who was occupying the position under the Coalition for Change (C4C) ticket presented reasons for his decision to join the SLPP. He said the present government led by President Bio prioritises development and has undertaken projects that have given the district a new face.
He said evidence abounds of the transformation the district is experiencing and cited the ongoing construction of the Kono University, provision of the first Waste Management site, the 250 Million Old Leones Clock Tower funded by First Lady Fatima Bio, and plans to make the area an international trade hub with the intended construction of a road network linking the neighbouring country of Guinea.
He also spoke about continued feasibility work and concrete plans for the provision of water supply to Koidu. He said his conviction in joining the SLPP and supporting President Bio was based on his visionary leadership and the desire to develop the country as a whole.
First Lady Fatima Bio in her statement said as a Kono indigene she will always be supportive of any positive development in the district.
President Bio in his reaction thanked Mayor Sam and supporters of C4C and APC in the district who have decided to swing over their support to the ruling party.
He said they were wholeheartedly welcoming the new supporters to the SLPP fold and urged others ‘’to come home’’.
He said Kono is a crucial district when it comes to deciding the outcome of elections and trusting that the people have light at the end of the tunnel and won’t be misled this time around.
He spoke about the economic challenges facing countries around the world including Sierra Leone and said he has seen the challenges confronting plans to construct the road that will further open up trade in the district and will try as best as he could to get the work up and running.
President Bio stated that Kono will always be inclusive in the government’s development initiatives.
Key highlights of the event include the defection to the SLPP of hundreds of people claiming to be until now, supporters of C4C and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), and the donning by Mayor Sam of the green outfit of the SLPP.
Also, a popular SLPP politician in the district Sheku Kamara who was hoping to vie for the city’s mayoral position openly announced he would relinquish his bid and would instead throw his support behind the outgoing mayor’s intention to make a return under the SLPP ticket in the June 24th Elections.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (03/03/23)
