As the Sierra Leone People’s Party SLPP looks toward the 2028 elections, the flagbearer race is more than a contest of personalities. It is a decision about the party’s identity, its ability to hold together, and its capacity to deliver on the promises that matter to ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
In that context, Dr. Jonathan Bonapha Tengbe presents a candidacy built on three things SLPP needs most right now: a record of delivery, a discipline of party-first loyalty, and a proven method for holding the family together.
Delivered in the Sector That Touches Every Life
Dr. Tengbe’s tenure as Minister of Water Resources gave him responsibility over one of the most difficult and visible public services. Water is not abstract. It affects health, school attendance, business activity, and dignity in homes and communities.
His approach was methodical: start with dialogue. In Kailahun, Kenema, and urban areas across the country, projects were designed with input from chiefs, youth leaders, mammy queens, and technical teams. The result was infrastructure that matched local realities and structures that communities felt ownership over. Boreholes, gravity-fed systems, and urban upgrades were not just commissioned they were maintained because trust was built alongside the pipes.
For delegates and voters tired of projects that exist only on paper, this record matters. It shows that Dr. Tengbe understands how to move from policy to execution in Sierra Leone’s context.
17 Years of Party-First Discipline
Party loyalty in Sierra Leone is often tested in opposition and in the quiet periods between elections. Dr. Tengbe’s SLPP story began in 2007 and has continued through both phases.
He remained visible in the wards when the cameras left. He funded constituency offices, helped settle branch disputes at odd hours, and supported young candidates across different factions. His support was not conditional on which wing was winning at the moment. It was consistent because it was to the party as an institution, not to a temporary faction.
This matters for 2028 because SLPP needs a leader whose loyalty cannot be questioned and who can ask the same of others. Party discipline is not just about speeches. It is about showing up when it is hard and staying when it is convenient to leave.
Unity as a Campaign Strategy, Not a Slogan
Every SLPP convention tests the party’s ability to manage internal competition without fracturing. Dr. Tengbe has made unity the organizing principle of his campaign.
While other aspirants focus on delegate counts, he has prioritized creating space for closed-door conversations among aspirants on a shared post-primary agenda. The goal is a peace pact that binds the party together after the flagbearer is chosen, reducing the risk of post-convention splits that have cost SLPP in past cycles.
This is why the label “Peace Ambassador” has stuck. It is not branding for branding’s sake. It reflects a method: reduce public grandstanding, increase private negotiation, and center the conversation on what unites SLPP members across regions and factions.
Regional Roots with National Temperament
Dr. Tengbe’s base is the Eastern Region. Kailahun is his fatherland, Kenema his motherland. The Eastern Region today speaks with one voice in support of Ing. Dr. Jonathan B . Tengbe. That regional strength gives him a solid delegate base.
But his message has never been “East alone.” It is “East and every other region, together.” His reputation as a unifier travels because it is rooted in how he has operated: inclusive consultation, respect for local structures, and a focus on projects that benefit communities regardless of political alignment.
For a party that must win across all regions to secure the presidency, this temperament is a strategic asset. It allows SLPP to present a candidate who is rooted but not parochial.
Calm Under Pressure
Politics in Sierra Leone is high-stakes and often volatile. The party needs a flagbearer who can remain calm, focus on process, and keep the organization functional when pressure is highest.
Dr. Tengbe’s record suggests a preference for systems over spectacle.
He builds processes that outlast individuals water systems that keep running, dispute resolution mechanisms that prevent escalation, and consultation frameworks that give stakeholders a voice. That institutional mindset is what SLPP needs to govern effectively if it returns to power.
Looking Ahead: To the Delegates and the Party
The 2028 flagbearer will inherit a party that must balance internal cohesion with the demands of a national electorate. The choice is between a candidate who offers an untested gamble and one who offers a tested bridge.
Dr. Jonathan Bonapha Tengbe’s candidacy is not built on promises of what he might do. It is built on what he has done: delivering projects in a tough sector, maintaining loyalty through 17 years of party life, and making unity an operational priority.
For delegates weighing risk and reward, Dr.Tengbe represents the safe bet. Safe for party unity. Safe for organizational discipline. Safe for delivering on the development agenda Sierra Leoneans expect.
Past Strategies to the Transformation of the SLPP
In 2007 when SLPP lost the general elections to APC,
Dr. Tengbe joined the SLPP email collaborative platform called Bounce Back Initiative (BBI). It was a global platform used for communication between SLPP members with the objective of regaining power from the APC. During their engagement, they formed an organisation called Campaign Winning Team (CWT), for which he was appointed as Chairman in 2008/2009.
CWT internally raised funds to sensitize and support Party members across the country.
He held Town Hall meetings and supported bye- elections. They eventually supported the 2012 general elections which they lost. After the 2012 elections they continued their unity drive by forming the Movement for the Transformation of SLPP (MTS) for which he was the Chairman. The objective of MTS was to transform the Party in preparation for the 2018 General Election, which was eventually won.
He personally hosted a peace conference in 2016 at the Bank of Sierra Leone complex where all party stakeholders and FB aspirants were invited to spend the day to strategies and come out with way forward for SLPP. He also served as Diaspora fund raising Chairman on the appointment of SLPP National Executive Council ( NEC) in 2017 during which he raised huge amount of funds across the globe. Following all those interventions and many more, SLPP eventually won the 2018 General election and was appointed as Minister of Water Resources.
Dr. Jonathan Bonopha Tengbe is a Distinguished Grand Chief Patron of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party SLPP.
