We the undersigned citizens of Sierra Leone bring this present petition, based on the following facts.

1.        On June 24, 2023, the government of Sierra Leone held a general election to elect the leader and president of this nation. 

2.        On or about the same date, the ECSL announced that Julius Maada Bio, the incumbent had won the elections with 56.17 % of the votes, a mere 1.7% above the 55% needed to declare a winner.

3.       There has, however, been a dark cloud of uncertainty looming over the authenticity of the results. The opposition has raised issues with the announced results and demanded that the ECSL publish the disaggregated results, pursuant to sections 38(A)(2), 54(1), and 93 (a) of the constitution of Sierra Leone and section 52(b) of the public elections Act of 2022 which reads:

"The Returning Officer shall after delivering the Results of a presidential Election......(b)as soon as possible cause the Result of the Election to be published by Notice in the Gazette and in any other manner he may think fit" 

To date, this publication has not been made, denying the citizens the official record of the vote, obstructing legal remedies, and undermining the sovereignty of the people.

SECTION 3 provides the legal context and legal basis for the Petition.

Our concerns are multilayered relating to:

A.       The ECSL’S failure to comply with the law.

B.       Clear and convincing evidence of electoral fraud and manipulation of the results by the party in governance. 

C.      The massive intimidating deployment of armed military and paramilitary personnel assigned to the head of the ECSL by the government, raises serious issues of coercion. 

We the citizens and signors of this petition, by our appended signatures below, make the following demand:

1. That the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (“ECSL”), and the Government of Sierra Leone produce the disaggregated results of the 2023 elections pursuant to applicable Sierra Leonean laws.

In the aftermath of the elections, the results were contested by the signors below. 

According to multiple independent observer reports, irregularities were noted, and issues like missing ballots and shrouded counting/collating have been flagged as areas of significant concern.  

The ECSL and the Bio government have engaged in a nefarious Campaign conducted through political violence, legal subterfuge and an outright refusal of access to the courts to prevent the publication of the disaggregated election results data.  

We, the signors being representatives of the people demand that ECSL releases the disaggregated data. This disaggregated data we believe will provide the exact breakdown of votes cast, in compliance with Sections 52(b), 93(a–b) of the Public Elections Act 2022, Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Articles 1 and 2 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001), all of which demand transparent and lawfully conducted elections.

Therefore, to protect the integrity of the election process in Sierra Leone, we the signors of this document being representatives of the citizens of Sierra Leone who are similarly disposed by our signatures below,

1. demand that the Government of Sierra Leone and the ECSL comply with the applicable laws of Sierra Leona, regional and international agreements on elections best practices to which Sierra Leone is a signor.

It is in your best interest as a Sierra Leonean to sign this petition to ensure peace and stability in the land of our birth.

By signing this petition, you are not just advocating for your right to fair elections, you are joining a collective call for transparency and accountability for the ECSL to act swiftly and furnish the public with the comprehensive, disaggregated results that will affirm our confidence in the electoral process of Sierra Leone.

Let’s make this petition big enough to make a difference.