Freetown, 28th September 2026- The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) is facing fresh internal strains as a dispute over the membership status of Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally deepens. Veteran journalist and party stalwart, Sorie Fofana, has stepped in with an appeal for reconciliation, urging restraint and dialogue to prevent divisions from widening within the ruling party.
The controversy escalated after SLPP National Chairman, Jimmy Batilo Songa, issued a directive instructing Hon. Tarawally to desist from presenting himself as a member of the party or as an aspirant for its flagbearership. The move followed correspondence from the Citizens Democratic Party (CDP), whose National Secretary General insisted that Tarawally remained a member of their party.
Hon. Tarawally has rejected that claim outright. He maintains that he formally resigned from the CDP in 2018 and subsequently rejoined the SLPP, where he says he is a registered and fully paid-up Grand Chief Patron and National member.
Against this backdrop, Fofana has cautioned party leaders and supporters against allowing the dispute to fracture the SLPP’s unity. He stressed that reconciliation and dialogue are essential to safeguard the party’s cohesion ahead of crucial political contests. “The SLPP must not allow internal disagreements to undermine its collective strength,” Fofana warned, calling on members to prioritize unity over division.
The unfolding row highlights the challenges of party membership verification and the potential impact of internal disputes on broader political stability. As the SLPP grapples with this controversy, Fofana’s intervention underscores the need for consensus-building within Sierra Leone’s oldest political movement.
