President Julius Maada Bio has issued a clear and detailed roadmap for the selection of his successor as leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), calling on party members to “set aside entitlement and choose with clarity and discipline” ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Speaking at the party’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Dinner on Tuesday, April 28, Bio devoted a significant portion of his keynote address to the question of leadership transition, warning that the party’s greatest challenge in 2028 “may not come from the opposition — it may come from within.”

“As we celebrate seventy-five years, we are also summoned to look forward with a clear understanding of what this Party must now prepare for,” the President said. “2028 is closer than it feels. The SLPP must arrive at that moment united, prepared, and disciplined.”

Bio outlined specific qualities that the party’s next flagbearer must possess, moving beyond vague appeals to unity.

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“The question we must ask ourselves honestly is: who can unite the Party, win the country, govern competently, and carry Sierra Leone forward?” he said.

The President broke down the requirements into concrete attributes. The next leader, he said, must be “a unifier” who commands respect across generations, regions, and divides, and must be able to build trust beyond the party’s traditional base.

Additionally, Bio insisted that the next flagbearer must “show proof of their vision, their capacity to deliver and the moral authority that this office demands.”

“Whoever seeks this office must be able to handle criticism maturely and keep the Party together while making difficult decisions,” Bio added. “They must represent continuity with renewal: protecting what has been built, correcting what must be improved, and leading with fresh energy rooted in our founding principle — One Country, One People.”

In remarks that appeared aimed at potential aspirants and their supporters, Bio warned against divisive conduct that could weaken the party from within.

“Divisive rhetoric, incitement, and disruptive conduct that undermine the unity, discipline, and integrity of the Party must cease,” he said. “No individual interest, ambition, or grievance can be allowed to weaken the collective foundation we have built together.”

The President stressed that the SLPP is “a democratic party, not a monarchy,” and that the next leader will emerge through “a transparent and credible democratic process.”

Bio drew on proverbial wisdom to counsel patience among those whose ambitions may not be immediately realized.

“Our next Flagbearer and Leader cannot be chosen by sentiment or faction,” he said. “We must set aside entitlement and choose with clarity and discipline.”

He added: “Politics is long work. It requires patience. It requires discipline. It requires memory. Some will win today. Some will win tomorrow. Some will have to wait longer. But if those who do not get their moment immediately decide to weaken the house, then in the end, we all lose together.”

Invoking a familiar Krio saying, Bio declared: “The stone by the waterside does not fear the rain — it has endured it before. This Party has stood in rain before. It has stood in storms and withstood pressure because its foundations run deep, like the roots of a palm tree. When the rain comes, the palm tree must stand.”

Bio made clear that while he remains fully in charge as party leader until a successor is elected, he does not intend to disappear from party life after leaving office.

“Until a new Flagbearer and Leader is duly elected, I remain fully in charge as Leader of the Party, with the National Chairman at the helm of its day-to-day affairs,” he said.

But he added: “Public Office passes. Stewardship remains. Titles pass. Service remains. The duty to counsel, to steady, and to protect the institution does not end when one leaves the State House. I will remain, by God’s grace, a loyal servant of this Party and this nation.”

“The SLPP is a democratic party, not a monarchy,” Bio reiterated. “Our next leader will emerge through a transparent and credible democratic process.”