Claim: A viral social media post alleges that President Julius Maada Bio has officially launched campaigns for the 2028 elections in Sierra Leone. The post features an image purportedly taken from a campaign rally.
Verdict: Misleading. No media reports confirm such events. Also, the image attached to the post is AI-generated.
Full Text
A Facebook post shared by Michael M Williams claims that President Julius Maada Bio addressed a major Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) campaign rally ahead of the 2028 elections, promising reduced fuel prices, affordable food, free education, youth employment, and better road networks.
The post is supported by a widely circulated image showing a massive crowd, placards, and campaign messages.
The claim has gained significant attention on social media, especially on Facebook, where the post recorded over 1.9K reactions, 2.1K comments, and around 1.5K shares.
This level of engagement shows that the claim has gained traction and attracted public interest, increasing the risk that misinformation will reach a large audience; therefore, DUBAWA decided to verify it. The post was also shared here.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA inquired from the claimant when and where the campaign rally was held. However, the claimant did not respond.
Also, there was no media coverage of the campaign rally, which is another red flag, as such important events should, at the very least, have some coverage.
DUBAWA further examined both the legal framework for elections in Sierra Leone and the authenticity of the image used in the claim.
According to the country’s Public Elections Act 2022, the authority to determine when political campaigns can begin lies with the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL).
The law clearly states, “The Commission shall, after the close of nominations and in consultation with registered political parties and candidates, determine and declare the official campaign period through a public notice.”
This means that political campaigns cannot officially begin until nominations are closed and the ECSL releases the election timetable. As of now, there has been no official announcement from the ECSL regarding the 2028 elections.
Therefore, any claim that a formal campaign rally for 2028 is already underway is inconsistent with the law.
The viral image shows a large political rally with uniform crowd behavior, clear campaign placards, and exaggerated messaging such as “Fuel 15 Leones/Litre” and “Rice 100 Leones/Bag.”
Upon closer inspection, we observed unnatural uniformity in faces and clothing. Some texts on the placards appear digitally enhanced. The composition resembles collage-style AI artwork, combining multiple scenes into a single piece.
Additionally, an AI detection tool indicates a 98% likelihood that the image was generated using artificial intelligence. While such tools are not always perfect, the visual inconsistencies in the viral image strongly support this conclusion.
Conclusion
The claim that President Julius Maada Bio was present at a 2028 election campaign rally is misleading.