By Yusufu S. Bangura
As part of our profiling of presidential candidates for the June 24th general elections, we are today looking at the presidential candidate for the Republic National Independent Party (ReNIP).
Beresford Victor Williams is a Sierra Leonean politician, who contested the 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections.
The Republican National Independent Party (ReNIP) was established in 2017 in Sierra Leone and it’s a social democratic party that advocates for democracy, good governance, and economic development.
Early Life and Education
The ReNIP 2023 presidential candidate was born on 12the May in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He received his early education at the St. Edwards Primary School, Freetown and continued at the St.Edwards Secondary School, Kingtom.
He later further his studies at the Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Development Economics and International Business. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration and computer science from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
Williams is a married man with five children. He is a devout Christian and a member of the Methodist Church. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Freetown.
Career
Williams began his career as an accountant with top four accounting firms in the world. He later worked as a financial analyst for the United Nations Development Programme. Worked as an accountant with the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and he is currently the director of one bank in United Kingdom.
Political Career
In 2017, Williams founded the Republic National Independent Party. He has been the party’s chairman and flagbearer since its founding. Williams is a strong advocate for democracy and good governance in Sierra Leone. He has also been a vocal critic of corruption and mismanagement in the government.
In the 2023 Sierra Leonean presidential election, Williams is running against incumbent President Julius Maada Bio and other political parties.
The ReNIP presidential aspirant is running on a platform of change and hope by taking control and he has promised to improve the lives of all Sierra Leoneans if elected as president for the next five years.
He is a vocal critic of the Sierra Leonean government where he has accused the government of corruption, mismanagement, and human rights abuses. He has also called for the government to be held accountable for its actions.
Williams is a controversial figure in Sierra Leonean politics. He has also been accused of being a political opportunist and a demagogue. However, he also has a strong following among some Sierra Leoneans who believe that he is the only politician who can bring about real change in the country.
During the 2018 presidential election, Beresford Victor Williams selected Septimus Mohamed Kemokai as his running mate where received 2,555 votes with 0.10% and he didn’t win any parliamentary, councillor seats.
What Next for ReNIP Presidential Aspirant?
But for this 2023 election, Williams has selected a female running mate, Kadiatu Bangura. With this selection, will Beresford Victor Williams emerge as the next president of Sierra Leone that will solve the problem of this country after the 2023 election? That question would be answered by the voters.
