President Adama Barrow of The Gambia has extended his congratulations to President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone following his reelection on Tuesday.
In a message conveyed via his official Twitter account, President Barrow expressed his felicitations to the people of Sierra Leone and wished President Bio a successful second term.
"I congratulate the brotherly people of Sierra Leone for your recently concluded Presidential election. I wish you, my brother, H.E. President Bio, a successful term. Also, I pray that your second term will bring more peace and development for your country and the subregion," President Barrow stated.
President Bio emerged as the winner of the Saturday polls, securing just over 56 percent of the votes. He surpassed 12 other candidates, including the main opposition All People's Congress (APC) candidate, Samura Kamara.
However, Kamara and the APC leadership rejected the election result, alleging that it was stolen. Lansana Dumbuya, the APC National Secretary General, accused some members of President Bio's party and staff of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) of rigging the election.
President Bio was inaugurated on the same day the result was announced, and he pledged to foster unity and create job opportunities for the significant number of unemployed youths in the West African nation.