The Chairman of the Pujehun District Council, Foday Kandeh Rogers, has cancelled and postponed the Pujehun District Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Forum elections until further notice, citing alleged irregularities and concerns over credibility, transparency, and fairness in the electoral process.

The election was initially scheduled for Saturday, 25 July 2026, but was later moved to Monday, 27 July 2026, to avoid a clash with the All People’s Congress (APC) lower-level elections.

Three candidates were contesting for the position of CSO Forum Chairman: Abdulai J. Sillah, Isaac Koroma, popularly known as “Africa,” and Emmanuel Fawundu.

The Pujehun District CSO Forum has reportedly been led by the same group of executives for more than 15 years without an election, prompting concerns among civil society organisations and stakeholders who have called for a democratic leadership transition through a credible electoral process.

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Explaining his decision, Chairman Rogers said the CSO Forum Constitution stipulates that only organisations registered with the Pujehun District Council and operating within the district for at least three years are eligible to vote.

He further stated that any candidate contesting for the position of chairman must represent an organisation that has been registered with the Council and operating in the district for a minimum of five years.

According to Rogers, the CSO Election Management Committee submitted a list of more than 42 organisations eligible to participate in the election. However, he alleged that fewer than 25 of those organisations were legally registered with the District Council, raising concerns about the credibility of the voter register.

He said the alleged irregularities and other concerns necessitated the cancellation and postponement of the election. He added that the Election Management Committee has been instructed to engage with the District Council to resolve the issues before announcing a new election date.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the CSO Election Management Committee, Mustapha Kpaka, said the decision to postpone the election was taken solely by the District Council Chairman without consultation with the committee.

Kpaka maintained that the CSO Forum has established procedures for conducting its elections and described the Council Chairman’s intervention as inappropriate and unacceptable.

He, however, urged member organisations and the public to remain confident in the Election Management Committee, assuring them that they remain committed to conducting a free, fair, credible, and transparent election once the outstanding issues are addressed.

As of the time of filing this report, no new date had been announced for the Pujehun District CSO Forum elections.