The ruling SLPP party has truly fallen apart amid claims that First Lady Fatima Bio had bribed her way into the internal affairs of the SLPP election.

Fatima Jabbe Bio’s true colours were laid bare after she was visibly seen bribing the SLPP women delegates. During the Kailahun conference, Fatima Bio bribed many SLPP delegates, each receiving 5 million Leones to vote for her puppet Hawa Foray. But because of Fatmata Sawaneh’s popularity, Fatima Bio was humiliated and the election was cancelled in Kailahun, eastern Sierra Leone.

In Freetown, during the re-run, the arrogant Fatima Bio multiplied the bribe five times, and each SLPP delegate was given 25 million Leones and this time around, Fatmata Sawaneh’s popularity could not withstand the Fatima wind of change. Hawa Foray was controversially ‘selected not elected’ as the Grassroots say.

As a consequence, the SLPP party Grassroot supporters are fuming with rage as they visibly showed their disappointment in Fatima Bio’s lackadaisical interference within the SLPP party. Fatima’s blatant disregard for a united and progressive SLPP party has escalated this week and the choked Grassroot members, who support Fatmata Sawaneh, have vowed to fight back to punish the Bio colony with all the might at their disposal.

Fatima Bio has disgraced us, disrespected us, ignored us and we promised to pay them back soon,” a disappointed SLPP Young Generation Grassroot member warned.

From Kailahun to Freetown, the First Lady has shown that she can use her ill-gotten wealth to purchase anything she wants in the running of the SLPP party. The SLPP Grassroot supporters have finally come to the conclusion that Fatima Bio does not respect them and her negative actions since 2018 have irreversibly damaged their beloved party. They believe if Fatima Bio had the interests of the party at heart, she would not have exhibited this type of provocation by bribing corrupt SLPP delegates in order to vote for her candidate Hawa Foray, an unknown woman who came from the Diaspora.

“We the home base are making it clear that we trust our candidate Fatmata Sawaneh, the incumbent who was robbed of victory because of bribery and corruption by Fatima Bio’s stolen riches. We will not allow Diasporans to take over our beloved SLPP. We will not work with Hawa Foray who was imposed as President of the SLPP National Women’s Wing. They will pay for this selection,” an SLPP female Grassroot supporter confided.

Over 200,000 United States dollars was used by Fatima Bio to bribe the SLPP women’s delegates, especially those from the northwest, in order to dethrone the peoples’ choice Fatmata Sawaneh in favour of Fatima Bio’s preferred candidate Madam Hawa Foray. The bribery and corruption episode has definitely angered most SLPP supporters, including male members and top government officials. The majority of supporters from the southeast are in favour of Madam Fatmata Sawaneh, who is widely respected and considered as a true home base. The ‘Money Talks People Listen’ phenomenon openly adopted by the First Lady in the just concluded SLPP National Women’s Wing election has left an indelible stain on the unity of the SLPP in its entirety. (Photo: Hawa Foray delighted).

The Grassroots have vowed never to forgive Fatima Bio who had used her power and ill-gotten wealth to bribe a cross-section of desperate and impoverished women in the SLPP party swaying them into voting for her stooge in Hawa Foray. Fatima spent over two hundred thousand dollars to bribe the delegates. Each delegate received 25 million Leones. This was confirmed by the SLPP Grassroots. Bribery and corruption have apparently worked well for Fatima Bio and her cabal against the popular candidate Fatmata Sawaneh who does not have the same colossal finances that are at the disposal of the First Lady. Now that Hawa Foray has won the SLPP National Women’s Wing presidency, the aftermath of this election is murky. Disunity and bad feelings among the membership of the SLPP party generally are visible and it will have a devastating effect in the not too distant future.

The resultant effect of Hawa Foray’s victory on Thursday’s re-run election in Freetown has more repercussions for the future unity and prosperity of the SLPP party in general than is envisaged. The wider membership has made their strong opposition to Fatima Bio’s ‘Lady Macbeth’ style of politics in social media, in audios, and in videos that have been recorded in recent times by staunch SLPP members who have denounced the First Lady big time. This is the first time disgruntled SLPP members and supporters have come out openly in droves to blast the power-hungry Fatima Bio. The election re-run that took place in Freetown on Thursday happened after the chaos over the weekend in Kailahun District where pandemonium broke out and the cancellation of the election was triggered by Fatima herself. Amid the commotion, President Julius Maada Bio who was present to witness the elections had to be rushed out of the conference hall for his safety as irate SLPP Grassroot supporters unleashed insults against the First Lady. The sly Fatima Bio was seen crying in her vehicle in Kailahun after the humiliation.

One does not need to be a political scientist to decipher the deep-rooted division and hatred that had engulfed the ruling party emanating from the interference of Fatima Bio for her own selfish aggrandisement. The Kailahun conference revealed serious divisions within the entire membership of the SLPP. One faction is led by the First Lady Fatima Bio which she dubbed JMB, an acronym for Julius Maada Bio Women’s Wing, and the other is presided over by Fatmata Sawaneh whose faction is considered to be the real SLPP Grassroot Wing supported by the majority. Fatmata Sawaneh’s support base emanates from the southeast, the so-called stronghold of the ruling SLPP party. (Photos: Fatmata Sawaneh ready for the battle in Kailahun. And Josephine Jackson aka Jojo, right, another Fatima Bio puppet).

However, Fatima Bio’s stolen riches have obviously made the difference between right and wrong. Her puppet Hawa Foray has to thank Fatima Bio’s influence for her controversial win, though her elevation to the SLPP Women’s throne has obviously threatened the peace and unity within the SLPP party in general. Fatima Bio’s preferred candidate Hawa Foray was declared the winner after she dubiously beat her fierce rival Fatmata Sawaneh, the incumbent, who has held the presidency of the SLPP National Women’s Wing for a very long time. Her dream was quashed by the little-known Hawa Foray thanks to Fatima’s bribery. She clocked 173 votes as against Fatmata Sawaneh’s 124. And 15 votes went to the third candidate Fatmata Bockarie in the re-run.

After Hawa Foray had won, Fatima Bio could be seen boasting and bluffing and singing provocative songs on videos. She wrote on her social media page: “Let me take this opportunity to present to you all, my new boss. The National Women’s leader of our great party Madam Hawa Foray! Congratulations my dear sister SLPP is moving with President Maada Bio and the women in the right direction. We move. Thank you, SLPP.” As a consequence, the SLPP ladies and men from the southeast have not hidden their disgust against Fatima Bio and they publicly promised President Bio that they will move their allegiance from him to the main opposition APC party in the 2023 presidential elections. This is a serious threat made by the SLPP women and if such a threat is carried out, President Bio’s re-election in 2023 will be dead and buried. The disappointed SLPP ladies had this stark warning for President Bio: “President Bio, we are going back to the 2007 situation and we are going to tell Fatima Bio that we own the SLPP.”

Continuing their blasts on video in front of the voting hall in Freetown, the unhappy SLPP supporters warned: “As you all know, my name is Ishmael Bio, Manager of the Campaign Team for Fatmata Sawaneh. As you can see, the place is quiet because the election has been rigged. Now, let’s allow the ladies to talk.” The women wearing SLPP party green and white T-shirts and supporters of Fatmata Sawaneh said in chorus: “President Bio, we will never vote for you. Your wife has destroyed the SLPP. Maada Bio, you have driven us away from the SLPP. We have suffered for this party. Maada Bio, we are going to APC. 2023, we will not vote for you Maada Bio. Your wife has used the money to rig the elections.” (Photo: Fatmata Sawaneh and Fatima Bio, right, both are love rivals. President Bio had dated Fatmata Sawaneh while both were serving in the army long before Fatima Bio lumbered in).

Another Fatmata Sawaneh supporter had this message for the First Lady: “My name is Mohamed Jalloh. I am warning Fatima Bio and her husband. Maada Bio you are standing quietly by and allowing your wife Fatima Bio to destroy this party. Remember for the past four years, we do not have a house, we do not have a car, if you stand until the APC win, all your properties would be seized by the APC. And you have Fatima Bio to blame if that happens.” Also in chorus, the Fatmata Sawaneh’s supporters blurted: “Fatima Bio has damaged the party. Fatima Bio is suffering us. Fatima, we thank you. But Fatima Bio we believe one thing. We are Christians. Some people only have God in their bags. Some have God in their waists. But we are serving the living God. Fatima Bio you said you are a mother. Maada Bio we voted for you.

“But today, because of power, we are going away. APC will get lots of voters. From today, we are with APC. We are not happy with what is going on at the party. Fatima Bio has damaged our party. You Maada Bio and Fatima Bio will be removed in 2023. The APC will come back to power. Fatima Bio is APC, if Fatima Bio is not APC, she would have allowed the election to go free and fair. She should have allowed transparency. SLPP was talking about fighting corruption but look at the amount of money Fatima Bio came with to bribe delegates. Each delegate received 25,000,000 Leones. People saw her bribing the delegates. Maada Bio you are keeping quiet while your wife is spoiling this party? When did Fatima come to the SLPP?”

Source: The Organiser