When Loyalty is Repaid with Betrayal: The Old Man and the Fatima Maada Bio’s Story
In politics, loyalty is not just a virtue, itβs a currency. And if thereβs one person in Sierra Leoneβs recent political history who has paid that price in full, itβs Her Excellency Fatima Jabbie Maada Bio.
When Madam Fatima first set foot in Sierra Leoneβs political arena, her first mission was bold and steadfast: to make him the Chairman and Leader of the Sierra Leone Peopleβs Party (SLPP). She believed, perhaps more than anyone else, in his capacity to stand as a genuine comrade in the fight for her husbandβs political vision.
It wasnβt a convenient friendship. It was conviction. While others surrounded President Julius Maada Bio, Fatimaβs trust in *the old man* was almost divine, the kind of trust that makes you put your reputation, networks, and personal peace on the line. Stepping on many toes, making enemies without personal malice, she secured victory for him when it seemed impossible.
2021: The Second Rescue Mission
Fast forward to 2021. The old man’s political stock had fallen so low that even President Bio himself had given up hope. Many abandoned him. But not Fatima. Once again, against all odds, she fought his battle as if it were her own. The result? A resounding and unexpected victory, proof that her loyalty was not seasonal but steadfast.
2025: The Mask Falls Off
Today, in 2025, the script has changed, and not in her favour. With the old man now seeking to manipulate the partyβs internal process to determine who becomes the next SLPP flagbearer, Fatima acted decisively. She blocked the attempt, ensuring that the lower-level preliminaries remained free from self-centered control.
This single act of safeguarding party democracy peeled back the mask. The man she had defended through fire and water is now aligned with those who once led βπ ππΏπ±π²πΏπΌππβ protests against him. His invisible hand is now behind some of the most humiliating moves against the very woman who once lived a political life for his ambition.
The True Test of Friendship
The irony is as bitter as it is painful. Fatima may be strong, but she could hardly have anticipated such betrayal from him. This episode brings to life the old truth: βThe genuineness of friendship is not tested in comfort, but in storms.β
If Fatima survives this political tempest, and she is no stranger to storms, perhaps she must look back to 2017 to the real friends she left behind. Many of them fought beside her to make the old man chairman and leader. When they later withdrew their support for him, she misread it as betrayal. In hindsight, it may have been foresight.
When the Knife Comes from Behind
In politics, opponents can be forgiven for fighting you. But when the knife comes from a friend you made, defended, and crowned, it cuts deeper.
If anyone in the SLPP should wage war against Fatima Maada Bio, it should be anyone but Prince Harding.
Enock Akonnor is an experienced Ghanaian journalist, based in Kumasi and currently serves as the CEO and Managing Editor of www.leakyghana.com.
With a wealth of expertise built over many years in the media industry, he has earned a solid reputation as one of Ghanaβs most sought-after journalists.
Contact:
π +233 541 921 562
βοΈ enockakonnor2013@gmail.com
