{"id":24523,"date":"2025-09-19T16:36:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T15:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=24523"},"modified":"2025-09-19T16:36:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T15:36:53","slug":"apc-member-makes-misleading-claim-about-sierra-leones-presidential-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/apc-member-makes-misleading-claim-about-sierra-leones-presidential-terms\/","title":{"rendered":"APC member makes misleading claim about Sierra Leone\u2019s Presidential Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claim: <\/strong>A popular All People\u2019s Congress (APC) politician claimed stakeholders agreed to a 10-year term for Sierra Leone\u2019s presidency between APC and SLPP to prevent another war.  <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>Misleading! Although Sierra Leone\u2019s ex-democratic presidents ruled for ten years each, the 1991 Constitution only specifies a five-year term for the country\u2019s presidency. Additionally, the review of the 1999 Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement and other peace agreements revealed that there is no 10-year agreement for the presidency between the APC and SLPP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 1999 Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement was a power-sharing agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) aimed at ending the Sierra Leone Civil War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agreement encompassed key provisions, including the integration of RUF members into the government, a ceasefire, the establishment of commissions for disarmament, human rights, and reconciliation, the transformation of the RUF into a political party, and the restoration of democracy in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the agreement did not live up to its fullest potential due to violations and difficulty disarming the RUF, which leveraged diamond wealth to continue the conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Chatham House<\/a>, Sierra Leone returned to democracy after the Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement was signed to end the 11-year civil war, achieved through a power-sharing agreement between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a popular APC politician<\/a>, Wilfred Leeroy Kabs-Kanu, claimed that stakeholders who ended the 11-year civil war agreed to a 10-year term for Sierra Leone\u2019s presidency between the APC and SLPP to prevent another war.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The claim reads in full: \u201cLet us get it straight. The 10-year-each rule arrangement did not come from the UN. Rather, stakeholders who worked to end the 11-year civil war arranged it. Their rationale was that if SLPP and APC  had  the chance to rule, there would be no more war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The claim sparked controversies, with some commenters dismissing it as unconstitutional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshots of the claim.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/em>DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim in a bid to determine the claim\u2019s veracity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DUBAWA first contacted the claimant to provide evidence to the claim, but he did not respond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Screenshot of the message sent to the claimant. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DUBAWA then reviewed the ECOWAS Six-Month Peace plan<\/a> for Sierra Leone, which was adopted in Conakry, Guinea, between 1997 and 1998, but did not find any evidence supporting the claim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, we found that the main idea of the ECOWAS Six-Month Peace Plan was to devise an early return of constitutional governance to the country after fFormer President Ahmad Tejan Kabba\u2019s government was ousted by erstwhile Major Johnny Paul Koromah\u2019s coup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ECOWAS Six-Month Peace Plan was not specifically an agreement between the Sierra Leone Peoples\u2019 Party and All People\u2019s Congress, but the government of Sierra Leone and Major Johnny Paul Koroma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, we also reviewed the Abidjan Agreement<\/a> of 1996, but found no evidence supporting the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the Abidjan Agreement was between the government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). No part of the agreements, which were overseen by the United Nations, the Former President of Cote D’Ivoire, Henri Konan Bedie, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), and the Commonwealth, stipulated that the SLPP and APC should rule on a 10-year term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, we reviewed the country\u2019s most popular Lome Peace Agreement <\/a>of 1999 to verify the claim, but found no Article that stipulated a ten-year rule each for the SLPP and APC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, we found that the Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement did not stipulate a ten-year rule for the SLPP and APC; instead, it established a four-year transitional government, primarily for power-sharing between the incumbent SLPP and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) until the next elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although each of Sierra Leone\u2019s democratically elected presidents, such as Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Ernest Bai Koroma, ruled for ten years, it is not a law or agreement that the country\u2019s president should rule for ten years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Section 46 subsection (1) of the  1991<\/a> Constitution does not explicitly say that the SLPP and APC should rule for ten years each, the section says \u201cno person shall hold office for more than five years, whether or not the terms are consecutive.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, each president is constitutionally expected to serve for a term of five years. And if an incumbent president deems it fit to run for a second term, the constitution allows him or her to do so, without specifying a ten-year term as claimed by Kabs-Kanu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although two of Sierra Leone\u2019s former democratic presidents ruled for ten years each, there is no constitutional mandate for a ten-year term. There is also no evidence of such an agreement in the peace agreements led and signed by stakeholders aimed at restoring peace in the country and ending the war. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Claim: A popular All People\u2019s Congress (APC) politician claimed stakeholders agreed to a 10-year term for Sierra Leone\u2019s presidency between APC and SLPP to prevent another war.   Verdict: Misleading! Although Sierra Leone\u2019s ex-democratic presidents ruled for ten years each, the 1991 Constitution only specifies a five-year term for the country\u2019s presidency. Additionally, the review of the 1999 Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement and other peace agreements revealed that there is no 10-year agreement for the presidency between the APC and SLPP.  Full Text The 1999 Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement was a power-sharing agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) aimed at ending the Sierra Leone Civil War.  The agreement encompassed key provisions, including the integration of RUF members into the government, a ceasefire, the establishment of commissions for disarmament, human rights, and reconciliation, the transformation of the RUF into a political party, and the restoration of democracy in the country.  However, the agreement did not live up to its fullest potential due to violations and difficulty disarming the RUF, which leveraged diamond wealth to continue the conflict.  According to Chatham House, Sierra Leone returned to democracy after the Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement was signed to end the 11-year civil war, achieved through a power-sharing agreement between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).  However, a popular APC politician, Wilfred Leeroy Kabs-Kanu, claimed that stakeholders who ended the 11-year civil war agreed to a 10-year term for Sierra Leone\u2019s presidency between the APC and SLPP to prevent another war.   The claim reads in full: \u201cLet us get it straight. The 10-year-each rule arrangement did not come from the UN. Rather, stakeholders who worked to end the 11-year civil war arranged it. Their rationale was that if SLPP and APC  had  the chance to rule, there would be no more war.\u201d The claim sparked controversies, with some commenters dismissing it as unconstitutional.  \u00a0DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim in a bid to determine the claim\u2019s veracity.\u00a0 Verification DUBAWA first contacted the claimant to provide evidence to the claim, but he did not respond.  Screenshot of the message sent to the claimant.  DUBAWA then reviewed the ECOWAS Six-Month Peace plan for Sierra Leone, which was adopted in Conakry, Guinea, between 1997 and 1998, but did not find any evidence supporting the claim.  For instance, we found that the main idea of the ECOWAS Six-Month Peace Plan was to devise an early return of constitutional governance to the country after fFormer President Ahmad Tejan Kabba\u2019s government was ousted by erstwhile Major Johnny Paul Koromah\u2019s coup.  The ECOWAS Six-Month Peace Plan was not specifically an agreement between the Sierra Leone Peoples\u2019 Party and All People\u2019s Congress, but the government of Sierra Leone and Major Johnny Paul Koroma.  Secondly, we also reviewed the Abidjan Agreement of 1996, but found no evidence supporting the claim. In fact, the Abidjan Agreement was between the government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). No part of the agreements, which were overseen by the United Nations, the Former President of Cote D’Ivoire, Henri Konan Bedie, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), and the Commonwealth, stipulated that the SLPP and APC should rule on a 10-year term.  Furthermore, we reviewed the country\u2019s most popular Lome Peace Agreement of 1999 to verify the claim, but found no Article that stipulated a ten-year rule each for the SLPP and APC.  For instance, we found that the Lom\u00e9 Peace Agreement did not stipulate a ten-year rule for the SLPP and APC; instead, it established a four-year transitional government, primarily for power-sharing between the incumbent SLPP and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) until the next elections.  Although each of Sierra Leone\u2019s democratically elected presidents, such as Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Ernest Bai Koroma, ruled for ten years, it is not a law or agreement that the country\u2019s president should rule for ten years.  While Section 46 subsection (1) of the  1991 Constitution does not explicitly say that the SLPP and APC should rule for ten years each, the section says \u201cno person shall hold office for more than five years, whether or not the terms are consecutive.\u201d  In other words, each president is constitutionally expected to serve for a term of five years. And if an incumbent president deems it fit to run for a second term, the constitution allows him or her to do so, without specifying a ten-year term as claimed by Kabs-Kanu.  Conclusion Although two of Sierra Leone\u2019s former democratic presidents ruled for ten years each, there is no constitutional mandate for a ten-year term. There is also no evidence of such an agreement in the peace agreements led and signed by stakeholders aimed at restoring peace in the country and ending the war. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3815,1268],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4456],"class_list":["post-24523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-homepage","category-sierra-leone"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-6nx","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4456,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"mohamed-dauda-kamara","display_name":"Mohamed Dauda kamara","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-19-at-4.30.29-PM.png?fit=314%2C423&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24523"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24527,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24523\/revisions\/24527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24523"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=24523"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=24523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}