AYV News, January 6, 2026
All People’s Congress (APC) Party has raised concerns surrounding the ongoing cartographic mapping exercise being conducted ahead of the forthcoming national census.
Chairman of the APC Census Technical Committee, Hon. Leonard Balogu Koroma (Logus), said the APC notes with deep concern an alarming and deliberate pattern of actions by the ruling SLPP, which appear designed to gain an unfair political advantage through manipulation of the census process.
He alleged that these tactics are nefarious, unacceptable, and undermine the integrity of a national exercise that should be impartial and transparent, adding that cartographic mapping divides each district into Enumeration Areas (EAs) based on population size, adding that in rural areas, 300–450 persons constitute an Enumeration Area, while in urban areas 450–600 persons make up an Enumeration Area.
The mapping exercise according to Logus, is expected to last eight months, conducted in phases, adding that the APC’s primary concern is the disproportionate allocation of field workers/mappers relative to the size and population of some districts.
He said evidence showed that areas with smaller populations have been allocated more mapping personnel, while areas with larger populations have received fewer field workers.
“For instance and just one example, Pujehun district, which has a comparatively smaller population, has been allocated more mappers than Tonkolili district, which has a significantly larger population. Conversely, the number of field workers assigned to Tonkolili has been unjustifiably underestimated compared to Pujehun. There is no logical, technical, or demographic justification for this imbalance other than to create a false impression of higher population figures in Pujehun”. Logus said.
He added that given that Pujehun is widely regarded as a stronghold of the SLPP, these actions strongly suggest a deliberate attempt to inflate population figures with the intention of securing an unfair advantage in the 2028 general elections. This action will not only affect electoral outcomes but also impact on planning, social service delivery and resource allocation.
Logus said the APC calls on Statistics Sierra Leone to immediately address these concerns by providing a clear and credible explanation for the disparities in the allocation of mapping personnel, rebalancing the mapping teams to ensure fairness, equity, and transparency, ensuring that the size of each mapping team reflects the actual size and population of the area concerned, upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, and professionalism throughout the exercise, and demonstrating goodwill and impartiality in all aspects of the census process.
