Citizens Democratic Party Chairman Victor King has accused Sierra Leone People’s Party National Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa of interfering in the CDP’s internal affairs during a dispute over the political status of Musa Tarawally.

King said Tarawally ceased to be a CDP member in 2018 after formally communicating his decision to leave the party. He added that Tarawally later declared support for the SLPP in Bo.

King said Tarawally had not attended CDP meetings, paid membership dues or taken part in political activities organized by the party since his departure.

Dispute over Tarawally’s status

King alleged that Songa was using certain CDP members in connection with the dispute involving Tarawally. He argued that any disagreement involving the former CDP flagbearer should be addressed within the party to which Tarawally had declared his support.

“If the SLPP Chairman has an issue with Musa Tarawally, he should settle it within their party and not use CDP to bring anybody down,” King said.

King also maintained that the CDP had previously hoped Tarawally would return. “At some point, we were yearning for him to return to the party, but he didn’t, despite our best efforts to convince him,” he said.

Joseph E. Kobie, the CDP’s Southern Regional Chairman, also said Tarawally was no longer a member of the party. Kobie said Tarawally had submitted a resignation letter that was acknowledged by the CDP’s national leadership.

According to Kobie, Tarawally joined the CDP and contested as its flagbearer in the 2018 elections. Kobie said that after the presidential election proceeded to a runoff, CDP members accompanied Tarawally to Bo, where he declared support for the SLPP.

Questions over a communiqué

King further described a disagreement over a document presented during a CDP meeting. He said party officials refused to sign it because they did not know where it had come from.

“We didn’t sign the document that they brought because we don’t know where it came from,” King said.

He alleged that some individuals later signed a communiqué after the meeting had been formally closed. King said the document did not reflect the position or spirit of the CDP.

Representatives of the Political Parties Regulation Commission were said to have been present at the meeting described by King. The identities of those who allegedly signed the communiqué, as well as the contents and date of the document, were not provided.

King reiterated that Tarawally was not a CDP member, saying, “Hon. Musa Tarawally is not a member of our party.” He also alleged that the SLPP chairman was attempting to use people within the CDP against Tarawally.

The allegations concerning Songa’s involvement were presented as King’s account. No response from Songa was provided in the information available, and Tarawally’s resignation and current party membership were not independently confirmed.