Fofana Urges SLPP Leaders to Rebuild Unity Amid Tarawally Dispute

Sorie Fofana has called on leaders and members of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) to prioritise dialogue, reconciliation and unity amid an ongoing dispute involving Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally.

Fofana made the appeal during a recent interview with Ecko Media, where he expressed concern about developments within the party and urged those involved to avoid actions that could widen existing divisions.

“I am concerned about what is happening in the SLPP,” Fofana said.

Dispute over Tarawally’s membership

The disagreement over Tarawally’s status has involved official correspondence, public statements and legal arguments. SLPP National Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa reportedly wrote to Tarawally on September 17, 2026, directing him to stop presenting himself as an SLPP member or as someone aspiring to become the party’s flagbearer.

The reported directive referred to information received from the Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) concerning Tarawally’s membership status.

Tarawally rejected that position. He has maintained that he resigned from the CDP in 2018 before returning to the SLPP. That account has not been independently verified in the information available.

Tarawally’s legal representatives have also challenged the position taken by the SLPP leadership. They argued that questions about party membership should be handled through the appropriate constitutional and disciplinary procedures.

Appeal for dialogue

Fofana encouraged Songa and Tarawally to sit together, clarify their positions and seek common ground. He also urged the parties to review relevant records and constitutional provisions while pursuing a settlement that protects the wider interests of the SLPP.

“Whatever unites the party should be promoted, and whatever divides the party should be avoided,” he said.

Fofana, a veteran journalist, Publisher of the Global Times Newspaper and Chairman of the Board of Authority of the National Civil Registration Authority, said the issues surrounding Tarawally were unfortunate. He added that he had known Tarawally for a long time and knew him to be an SLPP member.

He further argued that the SLPP had survived internal battles in the past, but that its leadership needed to place greater emphasis on areas of agreement rather than division.

Wider concerns inside the party

The dispute has emerged alongside concerns about factions, competing political camps, disciplinary actions and hostile exchanges among supporters. Political attention is also gradually shifting towards the 2028 electoral cycle.

Some SLPP supporters have warned that a prolonged internal dispute could distract from governance and the implementation of government programmes, particularly amid economic pressures and youth unemployment.

Fofana’s appeal has been directed at the party leadership, senior stakeholders and President Dr Julius Maada Bio. The available information does not indicate whether Songa and Tarawally have subsequently met or reached an agreement.