The Deputy Commissioner for National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) and one-time leading candidate for National Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Jimmy Batilo Songa, sent his thanks and appreciation message to the supporters of SLPP after losing the Chairmanship position to the incumbent Prince Alexandra Harding.

The National Delegates Conference for the ruling SLPP party was held on 29th & 30th December, 2021 in Bo City, South part of Sierra Leone to prepare for the 2023 General Elections. The party endorsed His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio as the presidential flagbearer.

At the convention, Dr. Prince Alexandra Harding was re-elected as Chairman of the party with a landslide victory of 529 votes defeating major contender, Jimmy Batilo Songa who secured 392 votes. After losing to Dr. Prince Alexandra Harding sent a strong message to all SLPP supporters which reads;

“First, I would like to thank the Almighty God for his guidance and mercy in all things great or small. 

I would also like to extend my genuine appreciation to our Leader and President, His Excellency Julius Maada Woni Bio and to every single member of the great SLPP.

To those who have supported me and have stood by me throughout this marathon contest, I say thank you and thank you and thank you again from the very bottom of my heart. Your hard-work, your loyalty your passion and your compassion in spite of all the challenges is a remarkable tribute to what is good and great not just in the SLPP but for life in general.

Life is about struggle, often we stumble but we must always persevere on the path of victory.

The SLPP is the only path to victory for Sierra Leone and for Sierra Leoneans.

The elections for this year’s National Executive Officers are over. The Jimmy Batilo Songa campaign for the position of National Chairman has ended.

What has not ended is the love for our people and for our party. That love will endure forever!

I want to use this opportunity to congratulate our President and Party Flagbearer for the much deserved unanimous endorsement by the party. He is the leader that is going to lead us, not just as a party but as a nation, to a brighter and better future.

Likewise, I would like to congratulate every single elected National Officer and to wish them all well as they take us into navigating the next phases of our journey towards a victorious 2023 and beyond.

I have no doubt that all my supporters, in the true spirit of the our party would stand with me in accepting the results of this elections, whatever the level of genuine concerns may have been raised.

To those who have been wrongly deprived, I want to encourage you to remain steadfast and to continue to work harder within the ambits of our great party to reduce the anomalies and the animosities, increase the goodwill and to strengthen the systems and make them fairer for all. For we are that which we make for ourselves and with ourselves.

As the President said, during the just concluded conference, “the SLPP is the best thing to have ever happened to Sierra Leone”.

It is therefore incumbent upon us to uphold and to upgrade that golden gift which our forefathers left for us as a national tool for the empowerment of the masses.

We must continue to demonstrate the noble values that our party represents, so that we are not found wanting whenever we are tested, either by internal challenges or by external forces. We have to work on our imperfections with a genuine sense of humility and generosity as we rise above our occasional challenges that may attend our democratic exercises and other general pursuits.

I will forever be proud to be SLPP and I am humbled by all the love and loyalty from Party members.

To all of you out there, especially the GRASSROOTS supporters, know that you will forever be valued because a Tree can never stand without its Roots. You give life to our green Palm Tree. In fact you are what the Palm Tree is made of and made for.  Your resilience, your resourcefulness and naturalness is what gives our party purpose and drive.

I salute your hard work and your courage. Your active participation will continue to be honoured and your voices will never be drowned because they represent a call from the hearts and the souls of you the people.

I promise to continue to learn from you and to grow in the service of this great party.

Personally, there is nothing I cannot sacrifice for the good of the party and nothing should be more important to any of us than the success of SLPP and the peace and happiness of our people.

Please allow me to also extend my gratitude and thanks to my dear wife, my number one supporter, my rock and my adviser, Honorable Wuyata Songa and all my family members for standing by me and for the personal sacrifices you continue to make for family, party and for people. You are the solid foundation of my endeavours!

As we move towards the 2023 elections and beyond, I want to end by fervently appealing to all party members to unite around the leadership of our party and rise above our personal differences as we confront to defeat our real political opponents in a greater national victory of the Green.

Thank you and thank you again for all you continue to do as you stand up with the SLPP and for the good of Sierra Leone.

God bless President Julius Maada Bio, God bless the SLPP party and God bless the People of Sierra Leone. One Country, one People

Jimmy Batilo Songa

(Forever “the Poo Man Padi”)”