Albert David KAMARA: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 04 September 2026:
What is unfolding inside the SLPP today is not politics, it is a full‑scale institutional hijack. The First Lady’s nationwide political parade, powered by state vehicles, state security, public funds, government media, and a carefully planted network of loyalists inside the party hierarchy, has become the most radioactive symbol of double standards in Sierra Leone’s democratic space.
This is not ambition. This is a state‑funded political machine masquerading as First Lady activities, a machine built with resources that belong to citizens, not to a family dynasty.
While genuine party stewards, long‑standing elites, and respected stakeholders are told to “focus on their jobs,” the President’s wife is allowed to operate as a de‑facto flagbearer, touring the nation with privileges no other aspirant could ever dream of accessing.
The contradiction is not subtle, it is catastrophic. Ministers and appointees are prohibited from early campaigning. Yet the First Lady is given unrestricted political space, state protection, state logistics, and state media to promote her 2028 ambition.
If the rules apply to everyone, why is she exempt? If early campaigning is banned, why is she allowed to do it with public resources? If the First Lady’s office is ceremonial, why is it being used as a political launchpad? This is not leadership. This is ethical collapse.
At a time when Sierra Leoneans are battling inflation, unemployment, and economic hardship, the First Lady’s political carnival sends a brutal message: public suffering is irrelevant, political ambition is urgent.
Her nationwide tour includes fleets of government vehicles, hundreds of state security personnel, publicly funded media coverage, branded T‑shirts and political messaging, and a full entourage financed by the State. This is not empowerment. It is extravagance, misplaced priorities, and a reckless misuse of public funds.
Under President Bio’s leadership, the SLPP has already suffered reputational decline, governance controversies, economic mismanagement, narcotics trafficking allegations, state capture, and shrinking civic trust.
Now, Fatima Bio’s political ambition threatens to fracture the party, deepen resentment, and cement the perception that the SLPP is no longer a democratic institution but a family enterprise.
Inside the party, the First Lady has infiltrated and installed loyalists in strategic positions: Paran Tarawally as Secretary General, Moses Mambu as Publicity Secretary, attempts to secure the Chairmanship for her ally, only to be narrowly defeated. This is not participation. It is political colonisation of party structures.
The most disturbing development is the SLPP Chairman’s emerging role as the enforcer of presidential preference. Delegates, many vulnerable, many who are dependent on party patronage, are being conditioned to wait for one instruction: “Bring me a name, and thou shall be.” “I will redirect the delegates, and thou shall follow.”
This is not democracy. This is monarchical decree, dressed up as party discipline. It sidelines genuine party stewards, respected elites, and long‑standing stakeholders who have earned the right to contest for flagbearership far more than any presidential favourite.
President Bio instructed cabinet ministers interested in the flagbearer position to focus on their jobs, insisting “this is not campaign time.” Yet his wife continues: Touring every corner of the nation. Using state resources and privileges. Setting up political camps. Influencing party structures. Mobilising delegates. Running a parallel political project. This is not oversight. This is a constitutional betrayal, internal oppression, and undemocratic manipulation of party processes.
The party must choose between two futures:(1) A dynasty built on personal ambition, state‑funded privilege, and internal manipulation (2) A democratic institution grounded in fairness, transparency, and ethical leadership. The first path leads to deeper division, national embarrassment, and long‑term decay. The second offers stability, legitimacy, and a chance to rebuild what has been lost.
A political party cannot preach democracy while practicing selective empowerment. It cannot demand discipline while enabling excess at the top. It cannot claim moral authority while tolerating constitutional contradictions.
The SLPP must decide whether it wants to be a political dynasty or a democratic institution. The consequences will shape Sierra Leone for generations.
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