By Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Newspaper
All People’s Congress Member of Parliament Hon. Ibrahim Barrie has defended the APC Parliamentary Group’s walkout during debate on the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, warning that the country’s supreme law is at risk of being undermined.
Barrie described the walkout as a “principled stand” taken in response to what the APC considers serious constitutional and procedural issues surrounding the passage of the proposed amendments.
The MP cited Section 108 of the 1991 Constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority of all Members of Parliament for any constitutional amendment. He said the provision was designed to prevent the Constitution from being altered by temporary majorities or through procedural manipulation.
“We could not participate in a process whose constitutional validity is now the subject of serious legal and public dispute,” Barrie said.
He also questioned the Speaker of Parliament’s handling of the threshold issue, noting what he described as a contradiction between the Speaker’s initial ruling on the required majority and the subsequent referral of the same matter to the Supreme Court for interpretation.
Barrie argued that if judicial clarification was necessary, it raised questions about the basis for a definitive parliamentary ruling before the Supreme Court had spoken.
To support the APC position, Barrie referenced a constitutional dispute in Nigeria involving former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye. He said the Nigerian Supreme Court rejected an attempt to calculate a constitutional threshold based on a reduced number of legislators, and stressed that such thresholds must be determined from the full membership of the legislature.
“The principle is clear: Constitutional thresholds are fixed safeguards, not flexible political tools. Two-thirds means two-thirds of the full membership of Parliament, not a convenient subset,” he said.
The MP further raised concerns about compliance with Sections 73(1), 106(1), 106(2), 106(4), and 106(6) of the Constitution, which outline legal requirements for an amendment to become law.
Given the ongoing dispute, Barrie said all relevant authorities should await clarification from the Supreme Court before treating the amendment Bill as valid law.
He also stated that the APC Parliamentary Group remains opposed to the proposed Proportional Representation electoral system, the proposed 50% plus one presidential threshold, and other electoral changes which the party believes could weaken accountability or distort fair political competition.
However, Barrie stressed that the APC is not opposed to constitutional reform in principle. He said the party supports reforms that strengthen democracy and accountability, protect constitutional order, empower citizens, promote national unity, and reinforce institutional independence.
He reaffirmed the APC’s commitment to a democratic process based on constitutional compliance, transparency and broad national consensus.
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