The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, has publicly admonished Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, stating that his recent social media criticism of Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr displayed a lack of political maturity and proper leadership.

The disagreement stems from a social media post published by the Chief Minister, in which he accused Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of “bad politics,” “poor management,” and obstructing the city’s development.

In a post titled “The Chief’s Diary,” Dr. Sengeh detailed a meeting with 15 Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) councilors from the Freetown City Council (FCC). The Chief Minister reported that the councilors raised serious concerns regarding their exclusion from council governance.

According to Sengeh, despite there being 18 SLPP councilors against 22 All People’s Congress (APC) councilors, only one of the FCC’s 15 committees is chaired by an SLPP member. He further alleged that the Mayor has systematically denied travel opportunities to SLPP councilors.

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“This is absolutely unacceptable bad politics,” Sengeh wrote.

Sengeh also accused the Mayor of blocking staff transfers sanctioned by the Local Government Commission, specifically refusing to allow a new Finance Officer to take their seat. This impasse, he claimed, has prevented the signing of necessary financial documents, leaving the city “dirty” and councilors unpaid.

“The Mayor of FCC is being a bad politician who is trading the welfare and interest of our city for bad party politics,” Sengeh stated, defending his public approach by describing himself as a “different breed of politician” committed to transparency and public debate.

In a direct rebuttal, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, the Opposition Leader in Parliament, challenged Sengeh’s decision to air these grievances on social media before verifying them. Kargbo argued that true leadership requires direct engagement rather than public shaming.

“In circumstances such as this… the appropriate and responsible step would have been to first engage the Mayor directly and inquire whether the allegations are accurate,” Kargbo stated. “If you later discover from the Mayor that the allegations are not true… you would have deepened divisions between the Mayor and the councilors.”

Kargbo emphasized that effective leadership is defined by the ability to “listen and reconcile differences,” warning that prioritizing public commentary over dialogue worsens internal relations.

To illustrate his point on restraint, the Opposition Leader cited his own alleged mistreatment by the central government. Kargbo revealed that since assuming his role, he has not been provided with an official vehicle. He also alleged that he was removed from an official Ministry of Youth delegation to Ghana and denied his per diem specifically because he had debated against a government proposal.

“I did not take the matter to social media,” Kargbo noted. “Instead, I engaged senior government officials directly to understand the reasons and address the matter responsibly.”

Kargbo concluded his response by urging government officials to uphold “maturity and restraint,” advising against using platforms like Facebook to promote “one-sided narratives that further polarize our institutions.”