By Emmanuel Sikena
Freetown, Sierra Leone – With exactly two years remaining until Sierra Leoneans head to the polls, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) finds itself in a complex internal quandary, centering on the potential presidential candidacy of Dr. Kandeh Yumkella. Despite the perceived disunity within the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), the SLPP faces a unique preferred choice dilemma, with Yumkella – who defected to the party after the 2023 elections – at its very heart.
Dr. Yumkella, a former UNIDO Director General, recently addressed his presidential aspirations on AYV TV, offering a diplomatic response that he would leave the decision to the SLPP leadership and members. This measured reply, perhaps honed by his years at the United Nations, masks a deeper internal struggle within the party.
Political analysts largely agree that the SLPP’s hierarchy views Yumkella with suspicion, preferring to keep his ambitions ‘controlled’ and his ‘ego clipped’ within the party structure. Since his defection from the National Grand Coalition (NGC) in 2023, where he led as presidential candidate, Yumkella has been appointed Chairman of President Bio’s National Energy and Food Security quango. In this role, he is widely perceived as having limited power, earning him the moniker of President Bio’s ‘electricity poster boy’ and ‘bag carrier.’
As the 2028 flagbearer contest looms, Yumkella’s supporters are championing his chances, but his standing within the party’s rank and file appears tenuous. The SLPP’s own media mouthpiece, Global Times, recently ran a damning headline: “Kandeh Yumkella Snubs SLPP,” after he failed to turn up for an anticipated visit to the party headquarters in Freetown. The publication reported deep disappointment among stalwarts, noting that Yumkella instead attended a Chamber of Commerce event and later opted for the Freetown Central Mosque, where he briefly spoke to a dwindling congregation about his return ‘to help his country,’ without elaborating.
Further undermining his position, Global Times highlighted a prior incident earlier this year where Yumkella allegedly sought police protection for a planned visit to the SLPP headquarters, only to cancel at the last minute. Police sources reportedly questioned his need for such protection if he genuinely considered himself a party member.
Perhaps most damaging are the persistent questions surrounding his actual SLPP membership. Despite claims from his ‘KKY Movement’ of him being a registered card holder in Bo district, this was “instantly and robustly dismissed” by the Southern Regional office as “fraudulent and fake.” A subsequent attempt to obtain a party card from a USA chapter is now reportedly under investigation by the SLPP North American branch, adding layers of doubt to his eligibility to even contest.
Amidst these internal battles, Dr. Yumkella is currently preoccupied with formulating a sustainable strategy to address Sierra Leone’s chronic electricity supply issues. His success or failure in this critical assignment is widely seen as a litmus test for his leadership capabilities and fitness to govern. A breakthrough in energy provision could provide a powerful boost to his flagbearer aspirations, while failure would likely be seized upon by party skeptics as definitive proof of his unsuitability for the nation’s highest office.
The SLPP presidential flagbearer race is a crowded field, with over a dozen potential candidates. However, the most formidable contenders Dr. Yumkella must overcome are Vice President Juldeh Jalloh, widely regarded within the party as a loyal and trustworthy politician, and the young, flamboyant Chief Minister David Sengeh, who exudes confidence regarding his own leadership prospects. A significant hurdle for Yumkella, as many observes, is his comparatively junior rank within the SLPP government and party structure compared to both Jalloh and Sengeh, a factor many consider his primary Achilles’ heel.
As the 2028 elections draw closer, the SLPP’s internal dynamics present a striking contrast to the perceived disunity within the main opposition APC. While the APC grapples with its own challenges, the ruling party faces a complex internal reckoning, with Dr. Kandeh Yumkella at the epicenter of a preferred choice dilemma that continues to unfold.
