Fatima Babih, EdD
The ruling SLPP party of Sierra Leone now faces an ironic predicament of its own making. Their illegitimate First Lady, Mrs. Fatima Maada Bio (Mrs. Bio), whom they dressed in power and wrapped in privilege, has begun to bare her fangs at the very pack that enabled her rise. Her latest social media attack on Chief Minister Dr. David M. Sengeh is not merely another scandal—it’s the inevitable result of feeding and fostering a predatory ambitious woman.
Mrs. Bio once said in an interview with journalist Phoebe Swill, as I quoted in my book, The Unbecoming Mrs. Maada Bio of Sierra Leone…,
I have always been somebody who everything in my life is competition.
The roots of Mrs. Bio’s combative nature run deep, stemming from her upbringing in a polygamous household where competition was currency. She further told Phoebe Swill,
There was competition among the kids and competition among the wives, the wives wanted to look the best; everybody wanted to wear the best clothes and cook the best food.
This crucible of constant rivalry shaped Mrs. Bio’s worldview where personal success is measured not by merit or achievement, but by dominance.
It appears she has carried this same mentality into her role as First Lady, viewing everyone around her—men and women—as rivals rather than collaborators for the good of the country.
Mrs Bio’s inability to move beyond this mindset has been detrimental, not only to her husband’s party but to the Country she claims to serve. Instead of fostering unity, Mrs. Bio’s actions have only deepened divisions within the SLPP and beyond. Her relentless need to compete, even in circumstances where no real competition exists, is destroying the integrity of the First Lady’s position in Sierra Leone and causing unnecessary conflicts.
From her infamous shameless street dances, Tittok videos, designed to portray herself as more victorious and prosperous than her perceived rivals—the people of Sierra Leone—to her combative interactions within her husband’s political party, the SLPP, and her usurpation of resources, Mrs. Bio’s public image in Sierra Leone has been rooted in a constant need to prove her superiority over everyone else. And she continues to show us exactly who she is: a woman driven by an insatiable need to win, no matter the cost.
While much of her competitive behavior has mainly impacted women in the country, especially those in whose names she appropriates international resources and those in the SLPP, her toxic competitiveness, which has been largely ignored by the men, is now spilling over to the men. She is particularly targeting SLPP men she perceives as standing in the way of her political ambition.
The post in question below, shared on her Face Book page, is a pointed attack on one of her husband’s most prominent appointees—Chief Minister Dr. David M. Sengeh.
Considered by many in the SLPP as a rising star, Sengeh’s popularity and potential as a successor to Julius Maada Bio in the 2028 elections appear to have made him Mrs. Bio’s new perceived rival; replacing others, including former chair of the women’s wing, Fatmata Sawaneh, whose political career Mrs. Bio systematically destroyed. Men like Sengeh now find themselves in her crosshairs as most prominent challengers within SLPP are men.
It’s evident that Mrs. Bio, amid her recent travels in the United States, is using the opportunity to undermine Sengeh’s credibility and garner attention for herself. The irony is obvious: Sierra Leone’s taxpayers money are being used by Mrs. Bio to embark on a trip to America, only to publicly slight one of her husband’s most loyal ministers. This is not the behavior of a selfless leader working for the betterment of her country; it’s the behavior of a desperately insecure woman engaged in petty and destructive rivalry.
Many Sierra Leoneans see Mrs. Bio’ post for what it is, a calculated attack on her perceived rival, Dr. David Sengeh. And many have responded to her on social media, as the posts below show.
One must ask—why does Mrs. Bio perceive Sengeh as such a threat?
Instead of supporting her husband’s appointee, why does she feel compelled to discredit him?
As the nation watches this drama unfold between Mrs. Bio, Dr. Sengeh, and any potential SLPP candidate she disapproves of, one question burns brighter than all others: Will the men of SLPP, who once turned a blind eye to Mrs. Bio’s destructive competitive nature, finally find their voice now that they stand in her bullseye—or will they continue their complicit silence until she destroys their political careers one by one?
MAMA SALONE ~ Lioness of the West Coast 