SLAJ iVerify has verified that the claim circulating on social media and front pages of newspapers captioned “presidential running mate for the APC party, Chernor Maju Bah, also known as Chericoco, as the “APC Traitor-in-Chief” for allegedly not signing the communique during the recently concluded peace dialogue between the APC and the Government of Sierra Leone” and found it to be false.
“The APC Traitor-in-Chief Chericoco Never Signed the Communique as He Slyly Hid in the Toilet” social media claim.
SLAJ iVerify fact-checking desk has fact-checked the claim circulating on social media and in newspapers that the running mate of the main opposition All People’s Congress party, Chernor Maju Bah, boycotted signing at the just-concluded national mediation process on behalf of his part and went and hid in the toilet. Our conclusion is that the claim is false.
To arrive at such a conclusion, SLAJ iVerify employed the following verification process:
We reached out to Sidi Yayah Tunis, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party, who debunked the aforementioned claim. Mr Tunis clarified that Hon. Chernor Bah (Chericoco) was not meant to sign the communique as he was not part of the 9-man mediation team representing the APC party during the dialogue with the Government of Sierra Leone. He also confirmed that Chernor Bah was present at the signing event and did not hide in a toilet, contrary to claims on social media and in newspapers.
According to Mr Tunis, the names below were the members who represented the APC party in the mediation:
1. DR SAMURA KAMARA
2. MINKAILU MANSARAY
3. AMB OF YANSANEH
4. LANSANA DUMBUYA
5. DR KELFALA MARRAH
6. AFRICANUS S SESAYbEsq
7. YVONNE AKI-SAWYER
8. HON ABDUL KARGBO
9. ALIMAMY PETITO KORMA
iVerify also discovered newspaper leads with misleading phrases like “Why did Chericoco decide to dodge?” and “The lead APC traitor who is on the payroll of the corrupt and illegitimate Sierra Leone Maada Bio ostensibly to campaign for the ridiculous 2028 Bio agenda” were 2 of the many misleading articles we saw regarding the issue.
Furthermore, our investigation revealed that the headline was sensational, and its language carried a strong negative bias against the presidential running mate for the APC party, Chernor Bah, also known as Chericoco.
Phrases such as “His negative actions to deliberately dodge,” “final straw that highlighted Chericoco’s ultimate deceit and traitorous conduct,” “done so much dubious political trickery,” “Chericoco’s latest back-stabbing spree,” and “A traitor is always a traitor” were found to be inflammatory and unsubstantiated.
Based on the gathered evidence and our meticulous analysis, SLAJ iVerify concludes that the above claim is false.
Sidi Yayah Tunis, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party.
SLAJ-iVerify Fact Checking SOP
