President Julius Maada BioA senior member of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has insisted that President Julius Maada Bio will peacefully step down at the end of his second and final term in 2028 and hand over power to the party’s next flagbearer.
The veteran, who served under former President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, spoke on condition of anonymity. He said Bio told his inner circle the SLPP would select a candidate by 2027 to prepare for the 2028 general election.
The comment comes after public uncertainty following remarks by Moses Mambu, the SLPP’s Public Relations Officer, on national radio last month that the next general election will be held in 2030. Mambu’s statement has triggered speculation that President Bio may be trying to extend his stay in office beyond the constitutional limits.
But the anonymous SLPP veteran vehemently denied such a notion, saying: “President Bio respects the Constitution and will adhere to its dictates.
The ruling SLPP is gunning for a third straight term, a feat not achieved in Sierra Leone since the return of competitive politics in 1996, while the main opposition parties are gearing up to wrest back the presidency in 2028. Tensions have also arisen over Sierra Leone’s Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2025. On 10 August 2025, Parliament approved the amendment after its proponents said they had the necessary two-thirds majority.
President Bio has not yet signed the bill into law, and parliamentary members have urged him to send it back to Parliament or ensure all necessary parliamentary processes are followed before enacting it. Amid political plans and legal drama, an anonymous SLPP source sought to calm jitters, saying the president plans a constitutional and orderly transfer of power at the end of his mandated term and that the party is already laying the groundwork for the succession process well before the 2028 election.
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