By Salhaj & Mackisal
Sierra Leone’s President, Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, appears to have become politically entangled in what many observers describe as a self-inflicted political quagmire, following the continuous and defiant outbursts of his long-time friend and brother, Hon Alhaji Musa Tarawally of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
The current standoff between the SLPP leadership and Tarawally, a native of Moyamba District in the South, is not just a simple membership dispute. It is a test of political wisdom. And history shows that picking a fight with Musa Tarawally is a risky gamble for any President.
A Man With a History of Telling Presidents the Truth
Tarawally has built a reputation as a blunt truth-teller who does not shy away from confronting power, for which he is held in high esteem by his supporters.
During the reign of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, Tarawally openly told President Kabbah that his chosen political successor, former Vice President Solomon Ekuma Berewa, would not win the 2007 election. At a high-level political discussion meeting, Tarawally warned that Berewa would not be able to convince the electorate to secure an SLPP victory. His prediction came to pass when the SLPP lost to the APC.
That same fearlessness defines him today.
From Brother to Challenger: The Current Crisis
The present crisis erupted after SLPP National Chairman, Jimmy Batilo Songa, in a letter dated 17th September 2026, ordered Tarawally to immediately stop presenting himself as a member of the SLPP or as an aspirant for the party’s flagbearership for 2028. The Chairman’s letter relied on a claim from the Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) that Tarawally remains a CDP member, under whose ticket he contested the 2018 presidential election.
Tarawally has fiercely rejected this. In his reply on 18th September 2026, he produced a resignation letter dated 15th June 2018 and stated he resigned from the CDP and returned to the SLPP during the 2018 run-off, where he publicly declared support for Julius Maada Bio at the Bo Coronation Field.
This claim has now been corroborated by former CDP Chairman, Gibril Thullah, and four CDP Regional Chairmen, who all confirmed that Tarawally resigned in 2018 and that his support was pivotal in Bio’s run-off victory. Tarawally’s lawyers have now given Chairman Songa a seven-day ultimatum to withdraw the letter, threatening legal action for libel and complaints to the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC).
In a viral video response, Tarawally directly addressed President Bio, accusing the Presidency of using “boys” to intimidate stakeholders. He said: “President Bio, I am not like J.J Saffa or Sahr Jusu and others that you would use boys to intimidate.”
Tarawally as a Minister under former President Ernest Bai Koroma
When he was Minister under President Ernest Bai Koroma, Hon Musa Tarawally was reported to have told President Koroma the same truth and was never victimize. Just a single attempt by President Koroma to get him arrested ahead of the 2018 election, Tarawally’s political and grassroot support became a talk of the town. He was given the free hand by President Koroma to contest the 2018 presidential election under the banner of the Citizens Democratic Party.
Three Reasons Why President Bio Must Not Fight Tarawally
- Tarawally Knows Too Much: Tarawally is not an outsider. He is an SLPP Young Generation pioneer, a former MP (2002-2007), former Resident Minister South, Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Lands under President Ernest Bai Koroma. He claims he brought President Bio into the SLPP and introduced him to President Kabbah. He also boasts of his deep security networks: “I have worked in the security sector. I have networks. There is nothing hidden under my watch.” Fighting a man with such institutional memory is dangerous.
- He Has Grassroots Power: Unlike many Freetown-based politicians, Tarawally has proven grassroots mobilization. In June 2026, he secured a unanimous endorsement from National Constituency Secretaries (NaCoS) representing 32 constituencies. He is a Grand Chief Patron of the SLPP and is known for financing party offices and cooperative schemes for women and youth in Kono, Port Loko, Kailahun, and Falaba. Alienating him risks alienating a significant voting bloc in the South and beyond.
- It Weakens the SLPP Ahead of 2028: The SLPP is heading into a crucial flagbearer contest to succeed President Bio. Expelling or humiliating a major aspirant without due process – no complaint served, no Disciplinary Committee hearing, no NEC resolution, as his lawyers allege – makes the party look intolerant of internal democracy. It also hands the opposition APC a powerful talking point.
For President Bio, who has called for unity and discipline under Chairman Songa, the wisest path is intervention, not escalation. He should call both Chairman Songa and Alhaji Musa Tarawally to the table and allow the PPRC and the party constitution to take their course.
In Sierra Leonean politics, the man who tells you the uncomfortable truth in private is more valuable than a hundred praise-singers. President Kabbah learned that in 2007. President Bio should not repeat the same mistake in 2026.