By: Audrey Raymonda John
The High Court of Sierra Leone, sitting at the Guma Building in Freetown and presided over by Hon. Justice Alhaji Mohamed Momoh-Jah Stevens, has ordered lawyers representing parties in a leadership dispute involving the Sierra Leone Athletics Association (SLAA) to file written submissions ahead of further proceedings in a case challenging the legality of the association’s Extraordinary Congress and preparations for its December 2026 Elective Congress.
During proceedings, the Court directed counsel for the Plaintiffs/Applicants to file written submissions in support of their application on or before November 10, 2026. Counsel for the Defendants/Respondents was, in turn, ordered to file submissions in opposition on or before November 19, 2026.
The Court also considered arrangements for the possible appointment of a national representative to oversee the affairs of the association pending the December elections.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to November 10, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. for further proceedings.
The legal action was instituted by Martin Momoh Bangura and other applicants against members of the SLAA executive, including Dr. Adikali Kaba Sesay, David Brewah, Aiah Bockarie, David Aruna, Lahai Mansaray, Harold T. Leigh-Palmer and the association itself.
In their originating summons, the Plaintiffs/Applicants are asking the Court to determine whether the association’s executive acted lawfully when it excluded them from participating and voting as delegates at the Extraordinary Congress held in Bo on July 17 and 18, 2026.
At the centre of the dispute is the interpretation and application of Articles 8.4(a) and 8.4(b) of the association’s 2022 Constitution. The applicants argue that the executive relied exclusively on Article 16 to prevent them from exercising their voting rights.
They further contend that Articles 8.4(a) and 8.4(b) had been consistently applied by previous executives for more than a decade, including during the election of the current executive in April 2022. They maintain that the provisions cannot be disregarded without an amendment duly approved by the association’s general membership.
Another major issue raised in the proceedings concerns the tenure of the current executive. According to the applicants, the executive’s original tenure expired on April 9, 2026, but was subsequently extended to October 19, 2026, following a consensus involving World Athletics, the National Sports Authority, the Ministry of Sports and other regulatory bodies.
The applicants are therefore questioning whether the executive retains the legal authority to organize and supervise the December 2026 Elective Congress following the expiration of its extended tenure.
They are also challenging a memorandum dated August 13, 2026, which they allege seeks to exclude them from participating as delegates in the forthcoming elections.
In addition, the application raises concerns about the continued role of the association’s Secretary-General while an investigation involving him remains unresolved. The applicants have also questioned whether the SLAA Constitution has been registered with the appropriate legal authority in Sierra Leone.
Among the reliefs sought, the applicants want the Court to declare the Extraordinary Congress held in Bo on July 17 and 18, 2026, unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.
They are also seeking a declaration that the memorandum outlining arrangements for the December 2026 Elective Congress, together with directives allegedly excluding certain clubs from participating, is legally invalid.
The case now awaits the parties’ written submissions, which will enable the Court to consider the legal issues raised in the ongoing dispute over the leadership, governance and electoral arrangements of the Sierra Leone Athletics Association.