Will the National Peace Talk Between President Bio and Ernest Koroma Last Beyond 2028?
The Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) hosted the 2026 National Unity and Social Cohesion conference from the 26th to the 27th October 2026 at the Bintumani International conference in Freetown.
The much-anticipated peace conference, saw for the first time His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, and former leader Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma took the podium to express their commitment to peace and national Cohesion in Sierra Leone following the return of Ernest Bai Koroma from Nigeria.
With the theme “From Commitment to Action: Rebuilding Trust, Strengthening National Unity and Advancing Social Cohesion, there was a clear indication from the messages of both leaders that, they were yearning for peace, collaboration and unity.
For Dr. Ernest to insinuate that spending a weekend with President Bio in Tihun, and Her Excellency Fatima Bio spending the weekend in Makeni, shows the long-urge for national cohesion.
Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma further expressed his intention to work and support President Bio in his leadership ; something that has been lacking since President Bio came to power in 2018.
The Race To 2028
President Bio during the conference, assured the nation that, he would peacefully leave power come 2028 after completing his second and final term in office.
While he has no intention to run for presidency, President Bio’s presence and influence is definitely needed because he would want his party to maintain power.
SLPP will be presenting a new face for the 2028 presidential race after its convention hopefully next year.
But that doesn’t disqualify President Bio from campaigning for a successor.
Also, former President Ernest Bai Koroma is an influential personality with much interest for his political party the main opposition All People’s Congress to bounce back to power in 2028.
Without a shred of doubt, any presidential aspirants willing to lead the APC, would equally need his political backing and support .
As a former President who had ruled this nation for a consecutive two term, he has the strategy, the formula and connection to boost the presidential ambition of his party since he would definitely prefer his party to win the 2028 elections rather than SLPP.
Unarguably, the 2028 election is definitely going to be a tough battle.
The Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, came into existence after the 2018 general election following the disagreement between the ruling SLPP and the main opposition the APC.
The Tripartite agreement, has several recommendations that the government is trying to address to avoid further electoral disputes.
With the level of desperation and continuous denial of the SLPP victory in 2023 by the APC, how will the victory of SLPP in 2028 sound to the APC?
Amidst this vested interest, how both leaders manage their political interest during and after the 2028 elections will determine how genuine they are to the peace pledge.
Our leaders should draft peace messages alongside their campaign trails. This would de-escalate the tension ahead of the election