By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Mr. President, I trust you had a splendid trip. At this point, however, I honestly have lost track of your travels. One day you’re in London, the next day in Samoa, and it seems you’ve barely touched Sierra Leone’s soil. You’ve left many of us here dizzy trying to follow your globetrotting itinerary. But wherever you are, I hope you’ll take a moment to listen because there are critical matters at hand that deserve your undivided attention.
Mr. President, I’ve always been a loyal correspondent, sharing the nation’s heartbeat with you. And while you may not respond directly, I hold onto the hope that my words reach you somehow. Today, I bring a matter of great consequence: the rift you are creating within your own party and the government by the favoritism you’ve shown to Dr. David Sengeh, your Chief Minister.
Let me get straight to the point: why do you seem to hold Dr. Sengeh, or “Samson,” as if he is the singular wise man in the party? What makes him, in your view, more capable than the lawyers, strategists, and long-standing members within the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and your administration? Has his much-touted “radical inclusion” overshadowed the contributions and loyalty of others? From where I stand, your prioritization of him is sowing discord among your closest supporters, some of whom have been instrumental in your rise to power.
Take a moment, Mr. President, to understand what this division means. The SLPP has always had its factions, yes, but your elevation of Sengeh has created factions within factions. People are watching as he, with no significant prior experience in politics, openly challenges elders in the party through his minions, all while sparring with your own wife, Fatima Bio, “Baby Show.” And speaking of her, let’s acknowledge the stark realities of Fatima’s public persona. She’s outspoken, yes, but she’s also taken to creating her own set of loyalists, the so-called “JMB” supporters, who see her as a queen figure in their sphere. But what happens when her influence clashes with that of Sengeh’s? The tensions brewing are more than political; they’re personal and, by extension, dangerous.
Mr. President, have you noticed how “the Samson” seems to be losing respect for SLPP elders and the contributions of others within the government? It’s evident, particularly with how he clashes openly, especially with party veterans. Many who stood by you in the early days now feel disillusioned, disregarded, and downright neglected. They see you surrounding yourself with individuals who have no appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who came before.
Dr. Sengeh, let’s be fair, may indeed have vision. But vision without humility is a curse, not a blessing. It’s hard to respect a leader who does not respect others, and Sengeh has made it abundantly clear that he respects only his own “radical inclusion” brigade. He has alienated himself from his colleagues and now acts as if he alone can guide Sierra Leone toward progress. It’s alarming to see, Mr. President. Loyalty and respect cannot be demanded; they must be earned. And this young man has shown neither loyalty nor respect to those who hold this party together.
There’s a reason the SLPP has lasted as long as it has. The party’s strength lies in the unity between young minds and elder statesmen who bring wisdom from years of service. But in your attempt to bring “new blood” into the government, you’ve mistakenly equated youth with competence. You’ve forgotten that experience has its place and that new ideas must be tempered with knowledge accumulated over years. Dr. Sengeh may be clever, but cleverness alone cannot lead this nation. His brashness, his open defiance of SLPP traditions, and his blatant disregard for the contributions of party elders will only isolate him further.
And let’s not ignore the infighting and wasteful power struggles that now consume the SLPP. You have loyalists already divided into camps: those who stand with Dr. Sengeh, those who remain close to Fatima, and those who feel sidelined entirely. The elders, those who were once your staunchest allies, are either relegated to the sidelines or entirely out of the picture. Their dissatisfaction grows daily, and if they are fed up, I can assure you that their resentment won’t go away quietly.
Mr. President, in Kenema, the youth are singing songs that echo the frustration felt across the country. You may dismiss these as mere lyrics, but they are the voice of a generation alienated by the very government they helped bring to power. They don’t see the solidarity and unity that once defined SLPP; they see only discord and divisiveness.
The rift between Dr. Sengeh and the first lady “Baby Show” through Dr. Sylvia Blyden is just one piece of this puzzle, a symptom of a larger problem. Their quarrel is not just an exchange of words; it represents the split that runs through the core of the SLPP. What we’re witnessing, in truth, is a proxy battle between Fatima Bio and Sengeh. The fact that your Chief Minister is at odds with the First Lady is a testament to how broken things have become. Dr. Sengeh may be bold, but his audacity to publicly argue with Fatima speaks volumes about his lack of respect not just for her but also, indirectly, for you.
This discord, if left unaddressed, will be the SLP’s undoing. You, Mr. President, have created an environment where loyalty is not valued, where ambition runs unchecked, and where members of your party are now pitted against each other, each vying for their piece of the pie. Dr. Sengeh’s flaunting of wealth, his lavish events, his bold defiance—what do these actions convey to a nation already struggling with poverty? To the common man in Sierra Leone, these displays are not inspiring; they are an insult.
And, as if that weren’t enough, you’ve encouraged this division by allowing funds to flow unchecked. People in your party are already using government resources to start buying influence well ahead of election time, hoping to secure loyalty before the polls even open. This isn’t democracy, Mr. President; this is cronyism. The party elders who were once staunch defenders of the SLPP’s core values now see that these values have been traded in for political convenience.
As for you, Mr. President, you have indeed stepped on many toes, particularly those of the old guard. In your quest for modernization, you’ve chosen to forget those who brought you to this point. New faces, new ideas, new blood—all of this sounds wonderful in theory, but in practice, it has only alienated the very people who put you in office. The wisdom of experience is something you cannot replace, and by sidelining those who hold that wisdom, you’ve left the SLPP a shell of its former self, torn apart by infighting, betrayal, and disrespect.
Mr. President, I urge you to take stock of these divisions within your party and government. Time is slipping away, and you are leaving behind a legacy not of unity but of discord and division. The SLPP is now in danger of crumbling from within, not because of external pressure but because of the seeds of discontent sown by favoritism and unchecked ambition.
It’s not too late, Mr. President, to mend these rifts. Take a step back, reassess, and understand the value of unity and mutual respect within your ranks. Leadership is not just about vision; it’s about humility, listening to those who came before, and uniting rather than dividing. I hope, for Sierra Leone’s sake, you’ll find it within yourself to steer the SLPP back toward unity, to respect the contributions of all, and to show the nation that loyalty, experience, and integrity are still cherished in Sierra Leone.
