By Ayodele Deen Cole, Freetown, Sierra Leone. October 23, 2023.

The 2018 presidential candidate of the National Grand Coalition (NGC), Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (KKY), who recently returned to the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), is reportedly going to replace President Julius Maada Bio as the 2028 SLPP flagbearer with the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), Timothy Kabbah serving as his running mate.

Rumors about KKY replacing President Julius Maada Bio as the 2028 SLPP flagbearer started during the rounds when the former decided to merge with the SLPP prior to June 24, 2023 general elections and such rumors have only intensified the past weekend at the party headquarters on Wallace Johnson Street, when the First Lady, Madam Fatima Bio publicly called on all party members to start preparations for future campaigns, stressing the significance of a united SLPP working tirelessly to secure a brighter future for Sierra Leone.

The former NGC Leader and Presidential candidate is currently serving as the Chairman for the Presidential Initiatives on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security, following his new appointment by President Julius Maada Bio after the June 24 general elections.

According to the Chairman of the SLPP, Dr Prince Alex Harding, the unification of Dr Kandeh Yumkella with the SLPP membership is a significant transition for him, especially when he has been recognized as the main successor to the current SLPP leadership.

 He furthered that the move by the UNIDO boss to return to his original party was a step in the right direction. Dr Harding maintained that KKY’s decision to return to the party of his ancestors is a sign that he will surely replace President Bio as the ruling party flagbearer.

The National Secretary General of the SLPP, Umaru Napoleon Koroma Esq also disclosed that Dr. Kandeh Yumkella will be eligible for election when the time comes for the 2028 flagbearer election, noting that the choice of Timothy Kabbah as the running mate would be a mixture of both old and young for the future leadership of the country. He also noted that the appointment of Timothy Kabbah as the Foreign Affairs Minister is seen as way of grooming him to garner more experience.