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Friday, January 19, 2007

Berewa Advised Not To Rush Running Mate Issue in Sierra Leone

The erstwhile Leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and current President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah has advised the current Leader and Presidential Aspirant of the SLPP, Hon. Solomon Berewa, who is currently the Vice President of Sierra Leone, not to rush into naming who will be his running mate in the forthcoming July 2007 Presidential Elections.

The President offered the advice during a mammoth gathering of the SLPP at the National Secretariat last Tuesday January 16th 2007. The gathering was to unveil the newly refurbished SLPP Secretariat which the party’s National Council of Patrons had given a dramatic facelift.

When President Kabbah took the floor he extolled the virtues of the SLPP and pointed out that the party was a family with deep roots. President Kabbah did not mince words when he said that no other political party in Sierra Leone is as serious as the SLPP and referred to the other parties as, "lacking in vision and direction" whose only campaign strategy has been to, "dwell on and analyse the SLPP’s programmes".

"They must be creative and imaginative if they want to challenge the SLPP. The SLPP’s record of achievements is glaring and too numerous to itemise. Without the SLPP Sierra Leone would have been a dead and forgotten country", the President emphasized buttressing that by the time the APC had ruled for 23 years, Sierra Leone inherited a war that totally destroyed the country.

President Kabbah spoke about the need for unity among party members and stated that the SLPP had all the chances of winning the next presidential and parliamentary elections provided its members remained united and focussed.

He then deliberately paused for special attention before he proceeded to advise Vice President Berewa to think hard in naming a running-mate and counselled that he need not reach that decision in a hurry.

Whilst outlining the good qualities of Vice President Berewa, the President informed the jubilating crowd amidst thunderous applauses why it was that in 2002, he decided to choose Solomon Berewa to be his running-mate.

"Berewa will be the next President" he said "because he is better educated, more experienced and far more principled than any of his rivals".

"The others as I see them do not have a chance against a candidate like Solo whose knowledge of the craft of running the State machinery successfully cannot be questioned," President Kabbah concluded.

At the occasion, thousands of SLPP faithfuls across the spectrum donned their green and white colours and created a carnival atmosphere in a mood of great expectation. The SLPP victory song was repeated again and again as party members like Elizabeth Lavalie, Prince Harding, Alpha Wurie and others took to the floor, while statements were made by Party Executives such as Alhaji U.N.S. Jah and J.J. Saffa and the Party Leader himself, Solomon Berewa.

Dr Alusine Fofana, the co-ordinator of the Patron’s Council, Mrs Annie Lansana, the daughter of VP Berewa and Madam Yabome Posseh Somano Kapen also made statements.

Link to Berewa Advised Not To Rush Running Mate Issue in Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone News