By: Mustapha Momoh Esq.
Today, Friday 31st July 2026, the doors of the prestigious Bintumani Conference Centre swing open to receive members of the Sierra Leone Bar Association for the 2026 Annual General Meeting, a two-day gathering that will decide, over Friday, 31st July and Saturday, 1st August, who steers the ship of the legal profession for the term ahead. Amid the many voices vying for attention on the ballot, one record stands apart for its consistency, its transparency, and its results: the leadership of Tuma Adama Jabbi.
A President Who Has Delivered
Under Madam Jabbi’s stewardship, the Association has not merely held its ground; it has moved forward. Members who have engaged with the Bar Association secretariat over the past term will attest to a leadership style defined less by grand promises and more by quiet, consistent execution: strengthening the Association’s institutional voice, deepening engagement with the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice, and keeping the welfare of practising lawyers, young and senior alike, at the centre of decision-making.
Leadership of a professional body such as the SLBA is not a ceremonial post. It requires the discipline to manage competing interests within the profession, the courage to speak up on matters of judicial independence and access to justice, and the humility to listen to members across chambers, courts, and career stages. Tuma Adama Jabbi has shown all three.
Continuity in an Era That Demands It
The legal profession in Sierra Leone stands at a consequential moment. Reforms to court administration, ongoing conversations about the welfare and remuneration of practitioners, and the Bar’s evolving relationship with justice sector institutions all require leadership that understands the terrain and has already built the working relationships necessary to make progress. An AGM is an opportunity to build on a foundation, not always to lay a new one from scratch. Team Tuma represents that continuity, an experienced hand able to consolidate the gains already made rather than begin the learning curve afresh.
A Team, Not Just a Candidate
Madam Jabbi does not stand alone. Alongside her, Ibrahim Fayia Sawaneh Esq. offers his candidacy for the office of General Secretary, bringing a rigorous, detail-oriented approach to the administrative backbone of the Association, an office that quietly keeps the machinery of the Bar running between AGMs. Also seeking re-election is Satto Mary Baindu Kobba as Treasurer, whose stewardship of the Association’s finances has been marked by prudence and accountability, qualities that members should not take for granted and should not lightly vote to change.
Together, this slate offers members not a single personality to back, but a coherent team with a shared record and a shared vision for where the Association goes next.
The Choice Before Members
Every election invites comparison, and members attending Bintumani this Friday and Saturday owe it to the profession to look closely at records, not merely rhetoric. Continuity paired with proven competence is not a slogan; it is a governing philosophy that has already been tested and has already delivered for the Bar. Change for its own sake carries a cost, particularly at a moment when the Association’s institutional relationships and ongoing initiatives are still maturing.
As members cast their votes on Saturday, 1st August, Team Tuma asks for nothing more than a fair hearing of the record and a continued mandate to finish the work already begun.
Issued on behalf of Team Tuma (Tuma Adama Jabbi, Ibrahim Fayia Sawaneh Esq., and Satto Mary Baindu Kobba Esq.)
