A resounding chant is echoing through the grassroots of Sierra Leone's ruling party: "Fatima Bio, baluwa kwemao, kwevaya" meaning "Fatima Bio, don't fear war, war has finished."

The slogan, now circulating among Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) supporters, signals a growing conviction that the political battles surrounding First Lady Fatima Maada Bio's role are settled and that her path to the party's 2028 presidential ticket is assured. While no formal declaration has been made, the First Lady's own spokesman has publicly stated that if she chooses to run, her ascendancy to the SLPP flagbearer position is a foregone conclusion.

"Nothing Will Stop Her" In October 2026, Wusu Dadida Jalloh, spokesman for the Office of the First Lady, made the most direct statement yet regarding Fatima Bio's political future. Speaking to Ecko Media, he declared: "If she wants to be flag bearer of SLPP, nothing will stop her from being flag bearer." Jalloh predicted that if Fatima Bio secures the party's nomination, she will win the presidency. "

The chant "baluwa kwemao, kwevaya" , "don't fear war, war has finished" reflects the sentiment among Fatima Bio's base that the internal party conflicts that once threatened her political standing have been resolved in her favor.

But her supporters see something different: a refreshing political voice who speaks up for women and girls, who drove the passage of Sierra Leone's landmark 2024 law banning child marriage, and who campaigns publicly against period poverty . To them, the "war" of criticism is over. The chant declares that Fatima Bio need not fear political attacks her position is secure.

The chant is intimately connected to the EBEMA movement, a grassroots affiliate body within the SLPP. The Mende phrase "ebema" translates roughly to "it will not happen" or "impossible" in this context, a declaration that the opposition APC will not return to power in 2028.

State House Director of Communications Michael Berewa clarified that EBEMA is not merely a movement but an "ideology" designed to prevent the APC from reclaiming State House.

The movement's grassroots machinery has been actively expanding. In August 2026, Fatima Bio dispatched thank-you messages to regional coordinating teams in Bo and other places in the country , framing her outreach as ensuring every SLPP member "sees and feels the work of President Bio, while also understanding that there is a woman who sees them, hears them, and believes in their voice" .

She closed with the rallying cry: "EBEMA GBI! From East to West, North to South,we continue the journey together."

A Growing Field, But a Clear Favorite Fatima Bio is not the only figure eyeing the SLPP's 2028 ticket. A survey by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) placed the First Lady as the leading SLPP contender.

But for the crowds chanting "Fatima Bio, baluwa kwemao, kwevaya," The message from the grassroots is clear: the war is over, the path is open, and the First Lady's ascent is a matter of when, not if.