14/11/2024
SIERRA LEONE: ROAD TO 2028: BRIDGING THAT NASCENT TRIBAL RIFT. THE FULLAH FACTOR. PART 1
By Abayomi Tejan
As is to be expected, both the ruling party and the opposition, SLPP and APC respectively, are contemplating chosing a flag bearer for the next general elections in 2028. Both parties are locked in a power struggle to choose from among multiple contenders. Chernoh Maju Bah (a.k.a Chericoco) of the APC and Juldeh Jalloh, current two-term Vice President in the Bio administration, are both Fullah,
projected to presidential proximity in 2018 for strategic political gains, garnering the Fullah population for the home stretch. This paid up significantly for president Bio's victory in 2018 and, daresay, 2023, albeit with the ubiquitous 'vote rigging ' mantra characteristic of democracies the world over. The APC has been adamant since, at first clamoring for a re-run, then settling for a US brokered tripartite agreement. Now, the struggle for a successor to Samura Kamara, or settling for yet another chance for him, is rattling the APC like never before. Is there no one else competent to replace Samura Kamara? Time will tell. One thing is certain though; be it Samura Kamara or whosoever, the APC has a hold on the North/West that should not be underestimated. So has the SLPP in the South/East plus a good chunk in the West. Both parties are walking a tight rope in a race where the rewards for winning are as high as the consequences for losing severe. One wrong step is all it takes to swing the odds.The decisive variable here is the Fullah population, which cannot be assigned a region, they are everywhere, and they are many. And both VP Juldeh Jalloh and Chernoh Maju Bah, the former in particular, hold significant sway over that portion of the electorate that should not be taken for granted.
Naturally, Juldeh Jalloh would like to be the next SLPP flag bearer, and he would not be human if he did not. Throughout his tenure as VP so far, he has walked placidly, toeing the
