Musa Tarawally Membership Dispute Deepens as CDP Leaders Give Conflicting Accounts By George Philip Jambawai

 Musa Tarawally Membership Dispute Deepens as CDP Leaders Give Conflicting Accounts

By George Philip Jambawai

BO CITY, SIERRA LEONE -October 3, 2026

A political question that has lingered since the 2018 elections has returned to the spotlight, but this time the disagreement is unfolding from within the Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) itself.

 

At the centre is former CDP presidential candidate Alhaji Musa Tarawally and a question that appears simple but carries significant political weight: Did he formally leave the CDP in 2018, or does he remain a member of the party?

The issue resurfaced at a CDP National Executive Council meeting in Bo City on Saturday, October 3, as the party discussed internal restructuring.

The controversy began publicly in September after the CDP National Secretary General, Ibrahim Sorie Sesay, wrote to the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), stating that Tarawally remained a CDP member. The letter, dated September 3, reportedly said there was no formal resignation from Tarawally on record

The SLPP subsequently relied on that position in a September 17 letter directing Tarawally to stop presenting himself as an SLPP member or flagbearer aspirant.

Tarawally rejected the claim.

He says he formally resigned from the CDP on June 15, 2018, to return to the SLPP. He has produced a copy of a resignation letter dated that day and maintains that he has not paid CDP membership dues, attended its meetings, or participated in its activities since his resignation

But the disagreement does not stop there.

The current CDP National Chairman, Victor King, who was the party’s Secretary General in 2018, has reportedly maintained that Tarawally resigned officially during his tenure.

That position is also supported by four CDP regional chairmen, who said in a September 18 statement that Tarawally left the party in 2018 and subsequently returned to the SLPP.

The conflicting accounts have turned what might ordinarily be an administrative question into a wider political dispute.

Tarawally is currently seeking political space within the SLPP and says he remains a fully paid-up member and national delegate. He has also pointed to his participation at the SLPP’s 2025 National Delegates Conference, where he says he voted.



 His lawyers have since challenged the SLPP’s position, reportedly giving the party’s National Chairman seven days to withdraw the directive and issue a correction. They have also indicated possible legal and regulatory action if their demands are not met.

The political paper trail now carries competing versions.

One CDP official says there is no resignation on record. The CDP chairman says Tarawally resigned during his tenure. Tarawally says he has the resignation letter, while four regional chairmen have backed his account.

For now, the file remains open.

The question is no longer simply where Musa Tarawally wants his political future to lie. It is whether the documentary record from 2018 can finally settle where his party membership actually stands.

 Jambos SL Journal

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Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 6, 2026 at 12:28 PM

    Sierra Leonean politicians are often accused of corruption, even within their own political parties. Jumping from one political party to another has also become increasingly common.

    Entrusting the leadership of our country to politicians who put personal interests above national development can have serious consequences. When leaders misuse public resources and fail to build sustainable institutions, ordinary citizens are left to suffer the consequences.

    What is even more concerning is when leaders leave office after years of poor governance and then move abroad with their families to enjoy better living conditions, while the citizens they once served continue to struggle.

    Sierra Leone deserves leadership built on integrity, accountability, competence, and a genuine commitment to national development, not politics driven by personal gain.

    ReplyDelete

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