By: Newman Anthony Levey
The SLPP Mayoral candidate for Bo City Kobba Musa, together with his campaign team hosted a grand dinner on Friday, May 26 for SLPP symbol applicants in Bo District at the prestigious Galliness Paradise Hotel Banquet Hall in Bo district.
Addressing the audience in his opening remarks, the Masters of Ceremony of the Unity Dinner & Dance, Paul Duwai Sowa, a former mayoral aspirant who came second in the race and is now Head of the Media and Communication Team of Kobba Musa campaign encouraged party members to dine and dance their pain away and celebrate the victory of others. He also said that they all have the responsibility of reaching out to other citizens to vote for President Bio and all those who are candidates for the SLPP.
P.D. Sowa said the dinner has helped to bring their members together in one hall. He also said he lost the mayoral symbol but decided to join Kobba Musa’s campaign team. He challenged others to do the same in the interest of SLPP.
“We know it has been a difficult time for some of us who lost in the contest to secure party symbols, but let us stand together, celebrate each other, and keep building a party we all support because the SLPP is about unity and development,” said Paul Duwai-Sowa
In his welcome address, Lawyer Mohamed Monya Sheriff who himself was a mayoral aspirant for SLPP and now the campaign chairman for the nominated SLPP Mayoral Candidate said that Kobba Musa and team in consultation with the SLPP Bo District Executive decided to bring all SLPP symbol applicants from MPs, District Council to Bo City Council to a reconciliation dinner with a goal to chart a healing process before elections. In Bo District, 177 individuals applied for the SLPP symbol to become either members of parliament, district chairmen, mayors or councilors.
” SLPP is the oldest political party in Sub-Sahara Africa Sierra Leone to be precise. We are not short of human capital. Thus, many people applied to get symbols,” said Monya Sheriff.
He added that all those who went for positions only a few were lucky. The campaign chairman for Kobba Musa stressed that not everybody can become a nominee for the party, adding that they should all look at the bigger picture which is to see the SLPP win the June 24th Election with Julius Maada Bio as President, other nominees as MPs and councilors, Victor Kosseh Hindowa as Chairman of Bo District Council and Kobba Musa as Mayor of the Bo City Council.
He intimated that an anger against a brother or sister can be felt in the flesh and not in the mirror.
“Since we met at the Wizard Hall for the award of our coveted symbol, many of us have returned to our normal lives. This unity dinner is part of the healing process and the reason we are here. We did not call you here to eat and drink because you cannot dine from the comfort of your home. We are here because we all belong to one family, the SLPP. The bigger picture is our SLPP and President Bio and for us to win the June elections,” he added.
He sighted an example on himself. He said he contested for the mayoral symbol, but he did not get the symbol, adding that it was Kobba Musa who the party chose noting that he is now the campaign chairman for the Kobba Musa campaign.
Monya Sheriff informed the audience that the candidate for Members of Parliament, councillor candidates, chairman, mayor, former aspirants, district executive, regional executive, support groups, other party stawards among others were invited by the Kobba Musa campaign team to come and talk to one another in order to see reason and to put aside their differences and think SLPP holistically.
Mr. Sheriff said the turnout was unprecedented, adding that people really mean well for the party and this gathering is a clear testament for SLPP’s victory.
He called on all SLPP members to campaign massively for the re-election of President Julius Maada Bio, to vote for Kobba Musa for Mayor, MP candidates and councilors of the district and city councils.
In his brief and touching statement, the Resident Minister South, who is also the Bo District Chairman for SLPP, Mohamed E.K Ali said he was happy to see party members get themselves together after a rough primaries period in the party.
“On behalf of the SLPP National Executive and the District, we appreciate the effort of the Kobba Musa campaign team for organizing a unity dinner of such nature,” said Mohamed Ali. He added that he has not seen such level of commitment and organizational capacity for SLPP business in Bo in many years.
“In the SLPP, we are family, and we don’t have enemies. People chose to support one aspirant against the other for various reasons and eventually voted for the candidate of their choice. The primaries are over now. We should all come onboard to give Julius Maada Bio a resounding victory with no run-off in the June 24 polls.
Addressing his audience, Kobba Musa SLPP Mayoral Candidate for the Bo City Council thanked all SLPP symbol applicants and other invited guests for coming in their numbers to grace the event.
“This initiative for a unity dinner is unique because in Bo, we always set the pace. I am so excited to see party members hugging each other after a tough battle to secure party symbols,” Kobba Musa said.
Kobba Musa said that he got the symbol for Mayor, not because he is the only blessed one among the other aspirants or because he does party work better than others. He said after he got the symbol, he decided to reach out to all those who contested with him, and all of them have come together to campaign for him.
“Everyone should go out and campaign. This election is about the future of this country. The SLPP has done a lot for this country. We should not lower our gears but to mount a day and night campaign,” Kobba concluded.
In his keynote address, the Director General of NASSIT Mohamed Fuaad Daboh, a son of a Paramount Chief and a stakeholder in Bo District urged invited guests to stand together as they reflect positively on the primaries and to work hard for President Bio’s victory.
“We want to strengthen our relationship as party members at a time when it is key for our agenda of ‘no run off’” Mohamed Fuaad Daboh said in his remarks.
The dinner ended with a lot of fun and commitment by members of the SLPP family to support and campaign for President Bio and all candidates for the party in the June 24th polls.