Freetown, 14 August 2026 – The All People’s Congress (APC) has rejected the reported passage of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, describing the parliamentary process as unconstitutional and announcing plans to challenge the matter before the Supreme Court.
The main opposition party, during a press conference held at its headquarters in Freetown on Thursday, accused Parliament of engaging in what it described as a “legislative heist” and “constitutional banditry,” insisting that the Bill was passed without satisfying the constitutional requirements for amending the country’s supreme law.
The press briefing was led by APC National Secretary General Lansana Dumbuya, who stated that the party does not recognise the reported approval of the Bill on 10 August 2026 and would seek judicial intervention to determine the legality of the process.
“We are committed to pursuing this matter through the Supreme Court to ensure that constitutional safeguards are respected,” Dumbuya said.
The APC maintained that no institution of government has authority above the Constitution and argued that amendments to the country’s legal framework must only be carried out through strict adherence to constitutional procedures.
The party’s major concern centres on the interpretation and application of Section 108 of the 1991 Constitution, which requires that any bill seeking to amend the Constitution must receive support from not less than two-thirds of all Members of Parliament at the second and third readings.
According to the APC, the required threshold was not achieved because its Members of Parliament had walked out of the chamber before the vote was conducted. The party argued that proceeding with the vote in their absence rendered the process invalid.
However, Parliament proceeded with consideration of the Bill after the Speaker ruled that the constitutional provision did not apply in the manner argued by the opposition. The Speaker has indicated that aspects of the procedural disagreement would be referred to the judiciary for interpretation.
The Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025 contains several major proposed reforms, including reducing the presidential election victory threshold from 55 percent to 50 percent plus one vote, alongside a requirement for candidates to secure at least 20 percent of votes in two-thirds of the country’s districts.
The Bill also seeks to make proportional representation the permanent electoral system for ordinary Members of Parliament, introduce a constitutional minimum 30 percent quota for women in political nominations, and expand eligibility for Sierra Leoneans with dual citizenship to contest parliamentary seats and occupy public offices.
While acknowledging support for some provisions, including the women’s quota and dual citizenship reforms, the APC has strongly opposed changes to the presidential threshold and the replacement of the constituency-based First-Past-the-Post electoral system with proportional representation.
The party argued that moving away from constituency representation could weaken the relationship between elected representatives and citizens, while lowering the presidential threshold could reduce the need for broad national support in presidential elections.
The APC has called on civil society organisations, religious leaders, citizens, and the international community to pay attention to what it described as a threat to constitutional democracy.
The opposition party urged citizens to express their views peacefully while calling on the Government and the Speaker of Parliament to suspend implementation of the amendment pending a determination by the Supreme Court.
The dispute now moves to the judiciary, where the country’s highest court is expected to provide clarity on the interpretation of Section 108, the validity of the parliamentary process, and the constitutionality of the proposed amendments.
The APC concluded that it would continue to pursue what it described as a defence of constitutional order, legality, and democratic accountability.