Lt. Col. Musa Gbow Wins Njaluahun Paramount Chieftaincy Election with Decisive 888 Votes
Ben Bassey Lieutenant Colonel Musa Donald Gbow has won the Njaluahun Chiefdom Paramount Chieftaincy election, securing 888 votes at the N/A Court Barray polling centre in Segbwema, Kailahun District.
According to the official Polling Centre Summary Result (Form PC 2) issued by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and signed by the Provincial Secretary and Returning Officer on September 30, 2026, Gbow secured 888 votes out of 1,248 valid votes cast, representing 71.15 percent.
His closest challenger, Jajua Lawrence S., polled 311 votes, or 24.92 percent. The remaining candidates recorded significantly fewer votes: Gbetuwa Samuel B polled 20 votes (1.60 percent), Coker-Jajua Christopher Amadu received 15 votes (1.20 percent), Gbow Ansumana secured 10 votes (0.80 percent), and Jajua Mohamed C received four votes (0.33 percent).
The polling centre recorded 16 invalid votes, bringing the total number of ballots to 1,264 across six polling streams. The counting process was witnessed and certified by Assessor Chiefs PC Henry H. Balor III and PC Lamy S.B. Fangawa, and observed by accredited agents including Francis B. Johnson of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone .
The election followed an extensive declaration and eligibility process in which local authorities cleared six candidates to contest the chiefdom’s highest traditional office. Official records published on September 27 confirmed Musa Donald Gbow among the six fully qualified aspirants.
Ten aspirants initially declared their intention to contest the election. Following the declaration and verification process, six were confirmed as qualified: Ansumana Gbow, Samuel Borbor Gbetuwa, Christopher Amadu Coker Jajuah, Lawrence Maada Swarray Jajuah, Musa Donald Gbow, and Mohamed Cliff Jajuah.
The eligibility of Momoh Gbetuwa was subjected to a referendum involving 602 Tribal Authorities. Of the votes recorded, 215 were in favour of his claim while 387 were against, with 25 votes declared invalid. The result fell short of the required two-thirds threshold, and Gbetuwa was disqualified.
Ahead of the election, the High Court in Freetown refused an application by Dr Momoh Gbetuwa seeking an interim injunction to halt the poll. Court of Appeal Judge Justice Alhaji Mohamed Momoh-Jah Stevens ruled that an injunction is a discretionary remedy that can only be granted after all parties have been sufficiently heard .
The ruling cleared the way for the election to proceed on September 30, 2026.
The election proceeded peacefully with robust security measures coordinated by ACP Joe Kamanda Bongay, Regional Police Commander for the Eastern Region. Local Unit Commanders from Kailahun and Daru oversaw operations, with no security incidents reported during voting or counting.
The result from the N/A Court Barray centre represents only one polling station. The National Electoral Commission is expected to announce the consolidated result after tallying results from all polling centres across the chiefdom. Community members now await the formal inauguration, where Chief Gbow will assume his traditional leadership responsibilities in accordance with customary practices and Sierra Leone’s Chieftaincy Act .