By Mohamed KaiKai
The race for the presidency of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) has become increasingly contentious, with incumbent president Tuma Adama Jabbi rejecting claims that political affiliations should influence the outcome of the election.
Jabbi said her main challenger for the association’s top position is a member of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), the same party to which she belongs, arguing that suggestions of partisan divisions driving the contest were misplaced.
“Because they won’t tell us that politics has overshadowed the Bar Association election, I will put it on strict proof that my rival for the presidency belongs to the same political party that I belong to,” Jabbi said, according to remarks reported by local media.
The comments come amid heightened debate within Sierra Leone’s legal community over whether party politics has become a factor in the election campaign for the influential lawyers’ body.
The SLBA, which frequently comments on constitutional, governance and rule-of-law issues, has often found itself at the centre of national debates, making its leadership elections closely watched by politicians, lawyers and civil society groups.
Jabbi, who was elected president of the association in 2024, is seeking a second term under the campaign slogan “Raising the Bar, Securing the Gains.” During her tenure, she has cited initiatives including the establishment of a private pension scheme for members, professional development programmes and efforts to secure a permanent secretariat for the association.
The identity of her principal challenger has become a focal point of the campaign, with supporters of competing candidates trading accusations over the role of politics in the election.
The Sierra Leone Bar Association election is expected to attract significant attention given the organisation’s prominence in legal and public affairs and its role as a key voice on issues affecting governance and the judiciary in the country.
