CDP Insists Musa Tarawally Still a Member, Denies Resignation Rumors
The Citizens Democratic Party (CDP) has denied reports that its former presidential candidate, Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally, has resigned from the party, saying he remains a full member.
In a press statement issued after its National Council meeting in Bo City on Saturday, 3rd October 2026, the party said the clarification has become necessary following circulating rumours on social media that Tarawally had quit.
The party said it fully supports a letter earlier issued by its National Secretary General, Ibrahim Sorie Sesay, on 3rd September 2026, to the National Chairman of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), clarifying Tarawally’s status.
“Contrary to the circulating rumors, the CDP wishes to make it categorically clear that our party presidential candidate for the 2018 presidential elections Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally is still a member of our party, and the National Council is not aware of any formal communication regarding his resignation,” the statement said.
Tarawally, a former Minister of Internal Affairs and one-time senior member of the All People’s Congress (APC), was the CDP’s flagbearer in the 2018 general elections. He polled 0.5 percent of the votes in that election. In recent months there has been speculation that he was planning to defect to the SLPP.
The CDP National Council said any resignation must be deliberated and formally decided upon by the Council, which is the party’s second-highest decision-making body after the National Delegates Conference.
“Minor communications or announcements do not constitute a formal resignation,” the Council stated, adding that the party secretariat holds comprehensive records, including minutes and attendance lists, that confirm Tarawally as a member.
The Council also disowned a recent press release purportedly signed by the party’s regional chairmen announcing his resignation, saying that release “does not reflect the official views of the CDP and lacks the necessary dialogue and approval from the party National Council.”
The statement, which was witnessed by the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) according to the CDP, was signed by 21 National Council members including National Youth Leader Mohamed M. Sesay, Western Area Regional Chairman Desmond Stephenson, North-West Founder Isha Koroma, and National Secretary General Ibrahim Sorie Sesay.
The party urged members, supporters and the media to “refrain from speculation and to rely on official communications” and said its commitment to transparency and accountability “remains unwavering.”
Tarawally himself is yet to publicly comment on the controversy.
