๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐.
On 16th January, 1996 Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio overthrew Capt. (Rtd) Valentine Strasser and became Chairman of the NPRC (National Provisional Ruling Council) and Head of State of the Republic of Sierra Leone. Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio informed the nation that he was committed to the timetable set by the NPRC to return the country to civilian democratic dispensation.
Before the palace coup that overthrew Capt. Strasser, there were reports that he (Capt. Strasser) was not committed to the transition timetable that his administration had negotiated with members of the international community. Capt. Strasser was under severe pressure from some of his civilian allies in the NPRC including Christiana Thorpe and Hindolo Sumanguru Trye to abandon the transition timetable and pursue the war against the RUF rebels. It was in the midst of all of this that Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio intervened and removed Capt. Strasser from State House in January 1996.
As Head of State, Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio vigorously pursued the transition timetable because the civilian population was eager for the Army to leave power and return the country to civilian democratic rule. If Brig. Bio had wanted to stay in power at the time, it would have been difficult for anybody to have stopped him. It is a well-known fact that he was being backed by the Nigerian military leader at the time, Sani Abacha. It is even reported that Abacha told him to stay in power because of the fragile state of the security situation in the country. Brig Bio chose to put the interest of the country above his personal interest, by presiding over a peaceful transfer of power to an elected civilian President in March 1996, almost three months after he overthrew Capt. Strasser in a bloodless palace coup.
๐๐ซ. ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐
The French Ambassador, Jean-Claude Fortuit (the last French envoy before France closed its Embassy in Sierra Leone) called me. I used to live at Hill Station, just a walking distance from Country Lodge where Chairman Julius Maada Bio was residing.
Fortuit asked if I could organize a tรชte-ร -tรชte with Chairman Bio in my residenceโฆAnd if possible only him to come without no entourage. I did that and the meeting took place. It was a very cordial meeting which helped melt the icy relationship between Sierra Leone and France following the accusation from Freetown that Paris was conniving with Charles Taylor and Foday Sankoh to prolong the civil war in Sierra Leone…The meeting lasted for just twenty five minutes. We all dispersed…Two hours later, Fortuit called me asking if another meeting could be held at a different venue this time his (the French Ambassadorโs residence)…Once again, Chairman Julius Maada Bio arrived and during that meeting, Ambassador Fortuit told Chairman Bio, “Mr. Chairman, you are still a very young man…I personally believe it would be wise of you to hand over power to a civilian administration and pursue your studies overseasโฆThen in future you can come back and your people will appreciate you more. At that time the pressure was mounting on the NPRC to relinquish power and return to the barracks. Chairman Bio just nodded calmly and did not utter a single word…We all dispersed peacefully…Once I returned home after the meeting with the French Ambassador, Chairman Bio called me to come and see him in his houseโฆI walked down to the Lodge….We were sitting discussing what the French envoy had advised…and Chairman Bio told me this, โAdonis, I am going to hand over power peacefully…However, the Army is not yet ready for this…Not long from my handing over Soldiers will rise and cause mayhem in this countryโ. As if he predicted the May 25th 1997 coupโฆAnd of course we all knew that he had no hands in that senseless coup of the AFRCโฆ
Three weeks later, Chairman Bio handed over power to the elected civilian President, Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP in March 1996. I participated in the handing over ceremony that took place in the well of the Sierra Leone Parliament in March 1996.
๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ
When Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio handed over power to the newly elected civilian President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in March 1996, he left the country to pursue under-graduate and post-graduate courses in the United States of America. Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio returned to the country and formally joined the SLPP to pursue his dream of returning to State House as a civilian President. Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio contested the 2005 flag bearer election of the SLPP but lost to Solomon Berewa. He stayed in the party.
In 2007, the party lost the Presidential and Parliamentary elections to the main opposition APC Presidential candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma. In 2009, Solomon Berewa announced his retirement from active frontline party politics but retained his membership of the SLPP unlike his predecessor Dr. Albert Joe Demby who resigned from the SLPP and joined the NGC.
In 2011, Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio was elected flag bearer of the SLPP Party. He contested the 2012 elections but lost to the incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma.
In 2018, he was elected for the second time as flag bearer of the SLPP. In the March 31st 2018 run-off Presidential election, Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio defeated the ruling party candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara and was sworn-in as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone on 4th April, 2018.
When he left power in 1996, few people predicted Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bioโs return to State House exactly twenty-two years later. The man was destined by God to lead this great nation again. In a very modest way, he has always attributed his return to State House โto the will of Godโ. He is a man destined to lead his people. God is great!
