By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
The controversy surrounding Alhaji Musa Tarawally’s membership of the Sierra Leone People’s Party has taken another dramatic turn following the emergence of a letter dated 8 April 2026, bearing the SLPP’s official branding and addressed directly to him. The document raises a simple but powerful question: If Musa Tarawally was not a member of the SLPP, why was the party officially engaging him during its historic 75th anniversary celebration and reportedly requiring him to contribute NLe500,000 as a Distinguished Patron?
The letter addresses Tarawally as “Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally, Former District Chairman & Member of Parliament” and formally invites him to the SLPP Diamond Jubilee Celebration and Dinner. It was issued in the name of Hon. Dr. Sheku Munir Turay, Deputy National Secretary General of the SLPP. According to the document, Tarawally was provided with an Official Invitation Card and a Dinner Distinguished Patron Ticket. He was also informed that arrangements would be made for collection of the required contribution by 20 April 2026, with the alternative of paying directly into bank accounts bearing the name of the Sierra Leone People’s Party.
The visible letter does not specify the amount of the contribution. However, if the reported NLe500,000 Distinguished Patron contribution is confirmed by the accompanying ticket, receipt or other documentation, the question becomes even more significant. Why would the SLPP request such a substantial contribution from Musa Tarawally while now disputing his standing within the party?
This is not simply about receiving an invitation to dinner. The wording and circumstances matter. The SLPP described the Diamond Jubilee as a celebration of 75 years of leadership, service and commitment to democracy and national development, as well as a moment of renewed dedication to the party’s values and legacy. Musa Tarawally was formally invited to participate in that historic occasion and was apparently accorded Distinguished Patron status.
Months later, however, SLPP National Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa took the position that Tarawally should stop presenting himself as an SLPP member and flagbearer aspirant. Reports have linked that decision to correspondence reportedly received from the Citizens Democratic Party concerning Tarawally’s membership status. Tarawally disputes that position, maintaining that he left the CDP years ago and returned to the SLPP. His lawyers have also challenged the action taken against him.
That is what makes the April 2026 letter politically significant. If Musa Tarawally was never properly admitted into the SLPP, when exactly did the party establish that? Was it before or after 8 April 2026? If the party already considered him a nonmember before April, why was this official invitation sent to him? If that determination came afterwards, what changed between the Diamond Jubilee celebration and the present controversy?
The party should be able to answer these questions through its own records. Membership registers, party correspondence, convention accreditation records and financial records should establish precisely what status Tarawally held. This should not be reduced to political rhetoric when documentary evidence can provide clarity.
The financial question is equally important. If Tarawally actually paid the reported NLe500,000, did the SLPP receive and accept that money? If so, in what capacity was it accepted? Was he regarded as a Distinguished Patron, a party member, a former official, a supporter or simply an invited guest? If he did not pay, the party can equally clarify that fact.
The invitation itself does not automatically prove constitutional membership of the SLPP. Political parties can invite former officials, supporters and nonmembers to important events. But that does not make the document irrelevant. It shows that only months before the present dispute, the party was formally engaging Tarawally at a significant anniversary event and requesting a financial contribution from him.
That apparent contradiction deserves an explanation rather than political shouting.
Tarawally’s opponents can reasonably argue that attending an anniversary celebration or receiving a Distinguished Patron ticket does not establish membership. Tarawally and his supporters can equally ask why a man whose membership was supposedly defective was being accorded such official recognition by the party leadership.
The answer should not depend on which faction is speaking. The records should speak.
Politics should not rewrite yesterday according to the convenience of today. If Musa Tarawally was recognised by the SLPP in April 2026, the party should explain what subsequently changed. If he was not recognised as a member even then, the party should explain why it officially invited him, accorded him this level of recognition and reportedly requested NLe500,000 from him.
Until those questions are answered, the controversy will continue to return to one uncomfortable question:
If Musa Tarawally was not SLPP, why was the SLPP treating him as someone important enough to invite, honour and ask to contribute to the celebration of its 75 year legacy?
