By Sallieu S. Kanu
Freetown, 11 August 2026 – The opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) has disassociated itself from the purported passage of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, insisting that the process violated mandatory constitutional safeguards.
The Bill was declared passed on 10 August by the Speaker of Parliament, who ruled that a simple majority was sufficient. The APC argues this ruling contradicts section 108(2)(b) of the Constitution, which requires a two‑thirds majority of all 149 Members of Parliament—at least 100 votes—for any constitutional amendment.
APC officials noted that the Speaker had previously recognised the two‑thirds threshold but later reversed his position, allowing the Bill to pass with only 96 votes. “A mandatory constitutional safeguard cannot be displaced by a ruling from the Chair,” the party stated, stressing that section 91(1)’s general majority rule does not override the specific provisions of section 108.
The party further contended that the two‑thirds requirement applies at every stage of the amendment process, including Committee deliberations, since substantive changes to the constitutional text occur there. It warned that permitting clauses to be adopted by a simple majority risks altering the Constitution without the required level of support.
Declaring the Constitution the “supreme law of Sierra Leone” under section 171, the APC said its Members withdrew from proceedings to avoid legitimising the process. The party emphasised that it neither authorised nor participated in the Bill’s passage.
“The Government, Parliament and Speaker cannot stand above the Constitution,” APC National Secretary General Lansana Dumbuya asserted, calling for strict compliance with constitutional requirements and urging that no amendment be treated as valid until the Supreme Court resolves the voting threshold dispute.