By Winston Ojukutu-Macaulay Jnr
Spokesperson, The Progressives

Two years after Sierra Leone’s deeply flawed June 2023 elections, the country remains trapped in a constitutional crisis disguised as political stability. At the heart of this crisis is the continued presidency of Julius Maada Bio—secured not through a transparent, lawful electoral process, but through a premature declaration by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) and a backroom political compromise known as the “Hotel Agreement.”

Now, Dubawa—a Nigerian-run media project that claims to specialise in fact-checking—has entered the fray. In a recent article, Dubawa labelled the Africanist’s article posted on Facebook in August 2025, as “misleading” for stating that Maada Bio remained in office “without an election result.” Their justification? The ECSL declared Bio the winner, and therefore, an election result exists.

But this is not fact-checking. It is political sanitising.

The Law Is Clear—And It Was Violated

Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution and the Public Elections Act 2022 are unambiguous: no president, member of parliament, or local government representative may be inaugurated without a properly conducted election. That means:

• Votes must be counted and certified at every polling station.
• Results must be transmitted through district and regional officers.
• Final tallies must be verified nationally before any declaration.

None of these steps were completed in June 2023. ECSL’s Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, announced results while vote counting and tallying were still underway. Political party agents were excluded from the verification process. The constitutional chain of custody for electoral data was broken.

So, I ask: if district and regional tallies were incomplete, where did ECSL get the numbers used to declare Maada Bio the winner?

International Observers Agree: The Election Was Flawed

Dubawa’s article conveniently omits the chorus of international condemnation. The European Union, Carter Center, and United States government all criticized the 2023 elections for statistical inconsistencies, lack of transparency, and procedural violations. The U.S. even imposed visa bans on Sierra Leonean officials deemed responsible for undermining democracy.

These are not fringe opinions. They reflect a global consensus that the June 2023 elections failed to meet democratic standards.

The Hotel Agreement: A Political Compromise, not a Democratic Mandate

Following the disputed elections, the SLPP and APC entered into a tripartite agreement at the Bintumani Hotel in October 2023. Facilitated by international actors, this deal allowed Maada Bio to remain in office and restructured Parliament and local councils—without resolving the electoral irregularities.

This elite compromise:

• Violated constitutional procedures.
• Entrenched ethno-regional dominance.
• Bypassed the will of the electorate.

Dubawa’s attempt to legitimize this arrangement under the guise of fact-checking aligns them with political actors who have undermined democracy in Sierra Leone without due regard for the constitutional provisions for these actions most of which are entrenched clauses.

Journalism Must Defend Democracy—Not Undermine It

Dubawa’s intervention is not neutral. It is a calculated attempt to sanitise illegitimacy and discredit those who stand for accountability. Their article reads less like a fact-check and more like a press release for the ECSL.

In doing so, they target the Africanist Press, a leading investigative outlet that has exposed corruption and electoral fraud in Sierra Leone. This is part of a broader effort to suppress dissent and consolidate elite control under the banner of “unity.”

The Stakes Are Too High for Silence

We, The Progressives, reject the notion that a declaration—no matter how premature or unlawful—constitutes a legitimate election result. We stand by our assertion that Maada Bio’s second term lacks constitutional validity. And we will continue to challenge the erosion of democratic norms in Sierra Leone.

Dubawa’s article is not just a misstep in journalism. It is a betrayal of the very principles of truth and accountability that fact-checking is meant to uphold.

Democracy cannot survive on declarations alone. It requires process, transparency, and the rule of law. Sierra Leone deserves better. Governance must not and can never be a conmanship game!