By Saidu Jalloh, D.S
FREETOWN — Sharp disagreement over the constitutional requirement for amending Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution took centre stage on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, as representatives of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) and civil society debated the interpretation of Section 108(2)(b).
The debate was organized by Liberty Online TV, Truth Media, Sierra Eye Magazine and Engage Salone, in collaboration with the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ), on the motion: “This House believes that Section 108(2)(b) requires the support of two-thirds of the entire membership of Parliament and not two-thirds of the Members present and voting.”
The motion featured Hon. Hindolo Moiwo Gevao for the SLPP, lawyer Ady Macauley for the APC, and civil society advocate Marcella Samba Sesay. It was moderated by Kadijah Bangura of Liberty Online TV and Amadu Lamrana Bah of Truth Media.
The controversy stems from Parliament’s passage of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on August 10, 2026, after APC MPs walked out of the Chamber in protest over the voting threshold.
Hon. Gevao argued that the Constitution, together with Standing Order 46, supported the procedure applied and that Parliament had the required quorum to proceed after the walkout.
Ady Macauley countered that Section 108(2)(b) requires two-thirds of the entire membership of Parliament, not just those present and voting, and questioned whether the August 10 vote met that threshold.
Marcella Samba Sesay, speaking from a governance perspective, said the Constitution must protect citizens and uphold democracy and the rule of law, and referenced the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call for a new constitution-building process.
The matter is now before the Supreme Court, which has scheduled October 7, 2026, to hear a petition seeking clarification on whether “two-thirds of Members of Parliament” means two-thirds of all MPs or two-thirds of those present and voting.
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