Dr. Bernadette Lahai, the former Minority Leader of the Sierra Leone House of Parliament, has extended her congratulations to President Julius Maada Bio on his successful re-election.

In a message sent to the Sierra Leonean populace, Dr. Lahai expressed her felicitations to President Bio, the First Lady, election management bodies, and national as well as international observers for overseeing a free and fair electoral process.

Highlighting the importance of respecting the will of the people, Dr. Lahai emphasized the need to now shift focus towards the implementation of President Bio and the SLPP government’s manifesto.

“The people of Sierra Leone have spoken. We should now all move to the next stage of implementation of the Bio and SLPP government’s Manifesto, especially, that of Feeding Sierra Leone in line with SDGs 1, reduce poverty, 2, end hunger, and 5, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment,” she stated.

Dr. Lahai’s congratulatory message comes following the official announcement of the final presidential election results, which awarded President Bio a decisive victory with 56.17% of the valid votes cast. His closest contender, Dr. Samura Kamara, received 41.16% of the votes.

Furthermore, Dr. Lahai urged Sierra Leoneans to embrace and celebrate President Bio and the SLPP’s victory while prioritizing peace, social cohesion, and reconciliation.

She underscored the importance of unity among the citizens, highlighting that political party affiliations should not overshadow the fact that they are all brothers and sisters.

“In any election, one person is bound to win. Let us embrace and celebrate President Bio and SLPP’s victory, with consideration for peace, social cohesion, and reconciliation.  We are all brothers and sisters, differing only by political party inclinations. May God bless Mama Salone,” Dr. Lahai concluded her message.