Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister retracts false claim on Bio’s election as ECOWAS Chairperson

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson

David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), the chief minister and chief innovation officer of Sierra Leone has boldly corrected a false claim he made regarding President Julius Maada Bio’s recent election as the new chairperson of the Economic Commission of West African States - (ECOWAS).

Minister Sengeh’s retraction publicly corrects his previous incorrect claim that resident Bio “is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS” made in his congratulatory messages posted across three of his widely followed social media handles: Facebook, LinkedIn and X.

The post follows President Bio’s election as ECOWAS Chair on Sunday, June 22, 2025 during 67th Ordinary Session of Heads of States, succeeding Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Chief Minister’s claim drew public doubt and was quickly fact-checked by one of our 2025 Kwame KariKari OSINT Fact-Checking Fellowship fellows to set the records straight and accurately, and prevent further spread of false information.

The verification revealed that Bio is, in fact, the second Sierra Leonean president to serve in the role.

The fact check was published on AWE Media SL, Awoko Newspaper, the DUBAWA/DIDAC websites. Respectively, the fact-check was published on June 23, 24 and 25.

Few hours after the first publication, the minister corrected himself on his Facebook page.

“Congratulations H.E President Bio, on being the second Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS in the 50 years of its existence!” he wrote.

(Screenshots from comments made by Sierra Leoneans on the chief minister’s retraction post)

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