On Valentine’s Day, Monday 14th February 2022, First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone Madam Fatima Bio and opposition strongwoman Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden met and discussed at the Office of the First Lady.
While many expressed delight over the meeting of the two women, some expressed surprise to see the two women from the country’s two main and rivalry political parties chatting and taking photos in the most friendly manner one can describe.
The First Lady, obviously, is a member of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) while Dr. Blyden is a member of the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC).
There have been rumours that the two very popular Sierra Leonean ladies are at loggerheads, but their meeting on Monday sent a message that both have indeed shared long bond.
Dr. Sylvia Blyden spent some good time working in the Republic of The Gambia, a country paternally connected to Madam Fatima Bio. Both women are said to have shared moments in The Gambia. In fact, their meeting on Monday has been dubbed “the Gambian connection.”
Both posted photos of their meeting on their official Facebook pages. First Lady Fatima Bio’s post carried the expression, “finally two sisters meet.”
An excerpt of Dr. Blyden’s post reads:
“…It was time for me to zoom over to Goderich to meet my beloved Baby Sister, (our First Lady Fatima Maada Bio) at her Office. This is someone whom I should have never allowed politics to separate us – Today is my very first time of seeing or speaking with her for ten years now. The photos of me and Fatima speak for themselves. The natural smiles say it all. It was a big mistake on our part to get separated over Politics. Thank God that unfortunate separation is now over.”
The smiles, pleasantries and warm reception are perceived to be testaments of a reunion of sisters as Dr. Blyden disclosed that the meeting was their first in the last ten years.
Political and social analysts note that the recent encounter of the two women should be seen as a lesson to everyone that we can’t be fighting forever and that relationships or ties should always transcend political belongingness.
