Freetown, November 10, 2026 — The media team of Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah, popularly known as Chericoco, has formally demanded full clarification and the public release of technical evidence from the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) after the organisation disqualified its recent All People’s Congress (APC) flagbearer opinion poll.
In a formal notice dated November 9, 2026, the Chericoco Media Team questioned CHRDI’s handling of alleged voting irregularities. It specifically raised concerns about reports of suspicious voting patterns, including an alleged surge of about 2,300 votes for one contestant within just four minutes.
The team expressed particular worry that Hon. Bah and his campaign appeared to be implicated without any publicly presented technical evidence linking them to wrongdoing.
CHRDI, in its own official statement issued the same day, confirmed that the entire polling exercise had been disqualified following further investigations. The organisation said it detected unusual bursts of votes from Chericoco’s voting slot as well as similar patterns involving other candidates. Investigators also identified the use of a voting tool originating outside Sierra Leone, though CHRDI stated it could not link the activity to any particular campaign team.
The civil society group acknowledged that it had placed trust in the online platform used for the poll, despite earlier assurances from its IT and cybersecurity expert.
CHRDI maintained that the decision to scrap the results was taken to protect the integrity of the process rather than to favour or disadvantage any aspirant. It announced plans to audit a parallel SLPP voting exercise and to introduce a new, more inclusive platform for any future opinion polls.
The Chericoco Media Team is now insisting on access to the full technical findings, voting records, timestamps, details of the investigative procedures, and any other verifiable evidence that formed the basis for the allegations and the eventual disqualification.
In a related public response, the team stated: “We unequivocally reject any allegation or implication that Hon. Chericoco or his campaign engaged in, authorised, or facilitated fraudulent voting.”
Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah is a lawyer, former Member of Parliament, former Deputy Speaker, and two-time vice-presidential running mate to Dr. Samura Kamara in the 2018 and 2023 elections. He has been positioning himself as a unifying figure within the APC under the “Wan Salone” agenda as the party prepares for its 2028 presidential flagbearer contest. Other prominent names in the race include businessman Sheikh Mohamed Omodu Kamara (popularly known as Jagaban), who has led recent independent surveys by the Institute for Governance Reform, as well as Dr. Samura Kamara and several other senior party figures.
The controversy has thrown a spotlight on the challenges of conducting credible digital and social-media-based opinion polls in Sierra Leone. Questions around platform security, the ease of external interference, transparency of results, and the accountability of organisations that run such exercises are now dominating discussion within APC circles and among political observers.
Despite the dispute, the Chericoco Media Team reiterated its commitment to promoting unity within the APC and supporting Hon. Bah’s ambition to lead the party into the 2028 general elections. As the flagbearer selection process gathers pace, the episode serves as a reminder of the high stakes and the growing importance of verifiable, transparent methods in both party opinion gauging and eventual internal elections.
