By Edward Dictionary Caulker
What began as playful political banter at a party conference months ago has resurfaced this time under the national spotlight. On Thursday, 7 August 2025, during the State Opening of the Third Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, chants of “You coco roast oh” greeted First Lady Fatima Maada Bio as she entered Parliament.
The phrase first gained notoriety when Dr. Prince Harding, former National Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), led the refrain at the party’s 14th National Delegate Conference. At the time, many took it as light-hearted jest, but political whispers suggested the target was the First Lady herself; particularly her alleged faction within the party, nicknamed “Egbema Bi” (a Mende phrase), which reportedly backed several candidates in recent internal contests.
This time, the teasing took on a sharper edge. Eyewitnesses reported that some MPs added variations like “Di Mami e coco burn,” suggesting that certain political manoeuvres by the First Lady had backfired. The moment was further amplified by her decision to remain seated when President Julius Maada Bio and Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh entered despite protocol calling for attendees to rise.
In a later statement, Fatima Bio dismissed the chants as the work of “a handful of old men” within the SLPP, insisting they did not reflect the wider party mood. She described the incident as “maliciously done to inflict maximum emotional torture.”
Still, the symbolism of the moment has sparked wider debate. In the SLPP’s recent national executive elections, candidates linked to her political camp suffered notable defeats, losing ground to rivals backed by established party heavyweights. For some analysts, this is evidence of shifting power dynamics an early recalibration for a post-Bio political era.
The parallel with international politics has not gone unnoticed. Just as public jibes in U.S. politics have been used to weaken perceived rivals Donald Trump’s digs at Kamala Harris being a notable example the chants in Parliament may have been a calculated move to diminish the First Lady’s political clout in front of a nationwide audience.
The venue makes the gesture all the more significant. The State Opening of Parliament is meant to project national unity and ceremonial decorum. That such a pointed public snub came from within her own party underscores the deepening divisions in SLPP ranks.
Whether this marks a turning point for Fatima Bio’s influence or is simply a passing episode in Sierra Leone’s lively political theatre remains unclear. But the message from her detractors was loud, public, and unmissable: in the SLPP, political loyalty may no longer be a guarantee, even for those closest to the presidency.
