FREETOWN, 25 June 2025 — In a decisive victory at the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) national delegate conference held today in Freetown, incumbent Hawa Foray was re-elected as the party’s National Women’s Leader.
She secured 195 votes, defeating her closest rival, former leader and current Deputy Ambassador to Guinea, Fatmata Sawaneh, who garnered 73 votes. Other contenders included Alfred Yeama Kassay with 56 votes and Josephine H. M. Jackson, who received 3 votes; the count also recorded five void ballots.
Hawa Foray’s commanding win signals continued confidence in her leadership, following her previous victory at a December 2021 contest, where she secured 173 votes over Sawaneh’s 124 at a relocated session in Freetown.
The 2025 election, however, was not without controversy. Delegates and observers alleged that First Lady Fatima Maada Bio played a decisive role in steering the outcome in Hawa Foray’s favour. Sources recall chaotic scenes during the initial conference in Kailahun, culminating in canceled votes amid fights and accusations of interference, including alleged financial inducements to sway delegates.
In one striking report, grassroots activists accused the First Lady of funding delegate bribes—allegedly up to 25 million Leones each during the Freetown re-run—designed to undercut Fatmata Sawaneh’s home-base support in the southeast.
Party analysts suggest that this election underscores deeper tensions within the SLPP. Fatmata Sawaneh, a long-serving and grassroots-backed leader, maintains significant support—particularly in the southeast—while Foray, described by some insiders as politically mature and closely aligned with the First Lady’s camp, continues to consolidate influence. The result is seen as emblematic of a broader rift between traditional regional blocs and the executive-driven faction associated with President Bio’s inner circle.
The outcome sets the stage for internal reconciliation ahead of the SLPP’s upcoming national conference and 2018 general elections.
