APC Challenges Bill Over Unconstitutional Parliamentary Voting Thresholds
Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), has announced plans to file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to challenge the recent passage of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The party contends that the parliamentary process violated mandatory constitutional procedures, rendering the legislation invalid.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the APC national headquarters in Freetown on Friday, 14 August 2026. Executive leadership briefed the press on the party's legal strategy following Parliament’s controversial passage of the Bill on 10 August.
Central to the APC's lawsuit is the interpretation and application of Section 108 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, which governs the statutory requirements for constitutional amendments.
According to the party's legal stance, Section 108 explicitly requires that any bill seeking to alter constitutional provisions must secure the votes of no less than a two-thirds majority of all Members of Parliament during the designated readings.
The APC strongly disputes the Speaker of Parliament’s ruling, which permitted the Bill to move forward based on a simple majority vote. The party maintains that substituting a simple majority for the supermajority mandated by the Constitution represents a fundamental procedural violation.
Addressing journalists, APC Chairman Ambassador Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh stressed that the party’s decision to seek judicial redress is rooted in its duty to safeguard constitutional democracy and maintain the rule of law.
“We are not proposing change; we are insisting that change must fall within the law,” Ambassador Yansaneh affirmed, confirming that legal counsel has been instructed to file the action.
Defending the decision of opposition MPs to stage a walkout during the parliamentary session on 10 August, party officials maintained that participating in the vote would have legitimized an unconstitutional process.
APC National Secretary General Lansana Dumbuya reiterated the party's determination to see the matter through the apex court.
“We are committed to pursuing this matter through the Supreme Court to ensure that constitutional safeguards are respected,” Dumbuya stated.
He added that further implementation or assent to the Constitutional Amendment Bill should be immediately suspended pending the court's final determination.
The upcoming suit shifts the battle over Sierra Leone's constitutional reform from the legislative floor to the judiciary.
The Supreme Court will be called upon to deliver a definitive ruling on whether Parliament adhered to the mandatory constitutional threshold, setting a precedent for future legislative amendments in the country.
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