The dispute over the political affiliation of Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) presidential flagbearer aspirant Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally has taken a new turn, with a former Chairman of the Citizens Democratic Party (CDP), Gibril Thullah, maintaining that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally resigned from the CDP in 2018 and joined the SLPP.
Gibril Thullah, who also described himself as an ex-officio member of the CDP, made the disclosure during an exclusive interview in which he recounted the circumstances surrounding the formation of the CDP coalition and its participation in the 2018 presidential election.
According to Gibril Thullah, several political parties came together under the CDP ahead of the 2018 elections and agreed that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally should lead the coalition. The coalition contested the election but failed to secure enough votes to proceed to the second round.
Gibril Thullah said that following the first round, the CDP leadership held discussions on the political direction the coalition should take, including whether it should support the SLPP and its presidential candidate, Julius Maada Bio, in the runoff election. He acknowledged that the proposal generated disagreements within the CDP executive, with some members supporting the idea while others opposed it.
He recalled that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally subsequently took members of the CDP leadership to meet Julius Maada Bio, where they pledged their support for the SLPP candidate ahead of the runoff. Gibril Thullah said the decision contributed to a split within the CDP and eventually resulted in Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally being suspended from the party.
According to Gibril Thullah, the suspension was communicated to the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), now the Political Parties Regulation Commission, through a formal letter. He further stated that shortly afterwards, Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally submitted a resignation letter to the CDP.
Although the letter was not written on an official party letterhead, Gibril Thullah said the CDP at the time considered it a valid resignation and accepted that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally had left the party.
The fresh account comes amid a dispute triggered by a September 17, 2026 letter from SLPP National Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa, directing Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally to stop presenting himself as an SLPP member or presidential flagbearer aspirant. The directive followed correspondence dated September 3, 2026, from CDP National Secretary General Ibrahim Sorie Sesay, which reportedly stated that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally remains a member of the CDP.
Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally has rejected that position, producing a resignation letter dated June 15, 2018, which he said was addressed to the CDP Secretary General and clearly stated his decision to resign and return to the SLPP.
Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally has maintained that he is a fully paid-up SLPP member, Grand Chief Patron and National Delegate. He also said he participated and voted at the party’s 2025 National Delegates Conference.
Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally has disputed the claim that he continued to belong to the CDP after 2018, saying he has neither paid membership dues nor attended meetings or participated in the party’s activities since his resignation. He described the allegations as untruthful and misleading and indicated that his legal team is considering possible legal and constitutional remedies.
The dispute has meanwhile exposed differing positions within the CDP itself. Four regional chairmen of the CDP subsequently rejected the assertion that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally remains a member, stating that he resigned on June 15, 2018, and subsequently returned to the SLPP. They said they witnessed his return and public support for Julius Maada Bio during the 2018 runoff campaign.
Against that background, Gibril Thullah said he was not aware of any disconnect regarding the historical events. He insisted that his account reflects what transpired within the CDP following the 2018 election and that Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally’s resignation was accepted by the party at the time.
