Speaking in Krio, a language widely spoken in Sierra Leone, the former UNIDO boss was referring to the serious struggle for power in the SLPP between him and former military junta boss Brigadier (retired) Julius Maada Bio. Bio, who has tremendous grassroots support in the south and east of the country, seems to be gaining the upper hand in this deadly fight. He was presidential candidate in 2012 but lost to current president Ernest Koroma.
Political pundits in and out of Sierra Leone are speculating that if Bio becomes presidential candidate for the SLPP, Yumkella might leave to form his own party or join a coalition that is gathering speed in the country to unseat the ruling ruling APC in the 2018 elections.
It is also being speculated that the SLPP will lose many of its supporters and financiers with a Bio leadership after the SLPP convention slated to happen in the next few weeks or months. No date has been set yet for an SLPP convention after a court injunction put it on hold recently. The party is currently extremely divided and chaotic with factions routinely taking each other to court.
