𝐒𝐋𝐏𝐏 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬… 𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦!

Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was the first Northerner to lead the SLPP to general elections victory in 1996. Kabbah’s father was a Mandingo from Kambia district and his mother hailed from Morbai, in the Kailahun district, Eastern Province.

Kabbah’s running mate in 1996 was Dr. Albert Joe Demby from the Southern Region. Dr. Demby served as Vice President of Sierra Leone between 1996 and 2002.

Kabbah had several important qualities that made him a truly unique Presidential candidate for the SLPP in 1996 and 2002. He was a Muslim, a retired UN bureaucrat, a Northerner with strong maternal ties in the Eastern Region of the country. He was also well-known in the Western Area.

His running mate in 1996, Dr. Albert Joe Demby, was well known in the South/Eastern Region, where he practiced as a Medical Doctor.

The Kabbah/Demby team was seen as formidable. Demby was a very loyal Vice President. He was with Kabbah through the highs and lows. His replacement in 2002 came as a great surprise to many party faithful.

𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐡/𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝

Solomon Berewa hailed from the South like his predecessor. He was a renowned lawyer with a network of friends in the Western Area. His best friends were Creoles. Berewa never pretended to be a politician. His first job in the Kabbah administration was Attorney General and Minister of Justice. That was his natural habitat.

Berewa was Kabbah’s lead negotiator with the RUF during the Lome Peace Accord. He was a tough negotiator. He was considered or perhaps seen by many people as Kabbah’s ace hatchet man.

Kabbah’s decision to appoint Berewa as his running mate in 2002 proved controversial. Even the Party’s National Secretary General at the time did not see Berewa as someone who fits the bill.

After his appointment as running mate in 2002, many party supporters saw Berewa as Kabbah’s natural successor. As Vice President, Berewa wielded enormous influence in the country. Kabbah, who had no intention of running for a third term, gave Berewa a free hand in co-governing the country. Berewa became the country’s Co-President. On many occasions he presided over cabinet meetings, chaired meetings with donor partners and represented the President at several overseas meetings.

Kabbah’s decision to openly back Berewa’s bid for the post of flag bearer in Makeni in 2005, greatly affected the party’s chances in the 2007 elections.

Kabbah admitted that, managing leadership transitions in political parties is an uphill battle. When the SLPP lost the 2007 elections to the APC, Berewa claimed that, Kabbah sold him out.

I travelled with Kabbah to South Africa to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We stayed in the same house. I put it to him that, he was responsible for the defeat of the SLPP in 2007. He vehemently denied, saying that, he gave Berewa all the support he needed. He said Berewa, at some point, was not even picking up his calls. “I gave him a new mobile phone with a SIM card…I told him that, I would be calling him on that number directly…Solo would not answer my calls…I wrote down a seven-point piece of advice for him on how to conduct his Presidential campaign…He ignored it…I kept asking myself: what I have done to this man? I invited him to meetings to put across my concerns…He would listen but would not act…At some point, I became frustrated…I was advised to step back and allow him to carry on with his campaign…I was later informed that, Solo did not want me to be part of his campaign…I was shell-shocked”,

When I spoke to Berewa in London, on his way to Bradford in November 2007 (after losing the election) he put the blame squarely on Kabbah. He accused Kabbah of not being neutral in the run-off elections between Ernest Koroma and himself. I was extremely surprised. Both men decided to later privately reconcile.

𝐕𝐏 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐡 𝐉𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐡

President Julius Maada Bio is serving his second and final term in office. He hails from the Southern Region. He lives a devout Catholic life. He spent his adult life in the Army.

In 2018, President Bio chose Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh as his running mate. His appointment came like a bolt from the blue. After five years in office, President Bio decided to reappoint Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, a Northerner and a Muslim as his Vice Presidential candidate in 2023.

Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh is a North/Eastern Politician. His mother hailed from Port Loko district. His father settled in Kono district. He went to school in Koidu town.

Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jallon worked at the United Nations in a senior role before becoming a full time politician. He has been a loyal Vice President and a close confidant of the President. He is the Deputy Leader of the SLPP. As Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has carved for himself the figure of a national politician, preaching national cohesion. He is determined to unite the country.

𝐇𝐨𝐧. 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬

Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis is a formidable politician from the Southern Region. He is the longest-serving Parliamentarian in the current Parliament. He is a successful businessman and a politician who cuts across party lines. He is a close confidant of President Bio. He has been spotted on several Presidential delegations outside of this country.

Hon. Sidie M. Tunis has just completed his tenure as Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. During his tenure, he gave high-visibility to the ECOWAS Parliament. He has a network of influential friends in the West African sub-region. He deals with the crème de la crème of senior politicians and top business executives in the sub-region. He is referred to as the Godfather of Pujehun district. He is also a philanthropist.

𝐇𝐨𝐧. 𝐀𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐣𝐢 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲

Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally hails from Moyamba district in the Southern Region. He had a Mandingo father and a Mende mother. He is a renowned politician and a successful businessman. He is a close political ally of President Bio.

Alhaji Musa Tarawally served as Member of Parliament for Moyamba district under the SLPP. He became District Chairman of the SLPP in Moyamba district.

He served as Resident Minister South, Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment in the administration of President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally contested the Presidential elections in 2018. In the run-off election that year, he openly backed the candidacy of Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP.

In 2005, Hon. Musa Tarawally championed Brig (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio’s Presidential bid at the SLPP National Delegates’ Conference in Makeni. He lost his Parliamentary symbol for Moyamba district because of his open support for Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio in Makeni in 2005.

Since the end of the 2023 elections, Hon. Musa Tarawally has been organizing and building formidable teams ahead of the 2028 elections. His main determination is to unite the SLPP, empower party women at grassroots level, bring the country together and make the SLPP easily re-electable in 2028.

Hon. Musa Tarawally has a chain of business interests in the West African sub-region. He has put together formidable teams across the country to preach reconciliation within the SLPP. He is a philanthropist, a caring man and above all, a deeply thoughtful politician.

Next edition will feature Francis Ben Kaifala, Ambassador Alie Kabba and Andrew Jaiah Kaikai.