The Supreme Court of Sierra Leone will today begin hearing all cases linked to the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill.
The hearing will start this morning at the Supreme Court building in Freetown. The court has said it will treat the cases quickly because the matter is of national importance.
This is the case many Sierra Leoneans have been waiting for.
Why is the Bill in Court?
Parliament passed the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on 10 August 2026, but the way it was passed caused serious argument.
On that day, APC Members of Parliament walked out of the chamber before the vote. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas then ruled that the Bill had passed with a majority of members present.
But many lawyers, the opposition, and civil society groups say that is not what the 1991 Constitution says. They say Section 108 of the Constitution requires two-thirds of the whole Parliament – meaning 100 out of 149 MPs – to approve any change to the Constitution.
So the big question before the court today is: Does two-thirds mean two-thirds of those present, or two-thirds of all MPs?
How it reached the Supreme Court
After Parliament passed the Bill, it was sent to President Julius Maada Bio for his signature on 10 September.
But before that, on 4 September, the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) sent a petition to the President raising concerns about how the Bill was passed.
President Bio then decided not to sign. Instead, he used Section 122(1) of the Constitution for the first time in our history to send the matter to the Supreme Court for legal advice.
At the same time, other cases were filed at the Supreme Court:
– The APC party filed two separate cases
– Hon. Osman Timbo, APC MP, filed his own case through lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara
– Some members of the Lawyers’ Society also filed a case
The Attorney General, Alpha Sesay, has asked the Court to join all the cases together because they are asking the same question.
What is inside the Bill?
The Bill wants to change some big rules in the country:
1. Reduce the mark to win presidential election from 55% to 50% plus one vote.
2. Change from First-Past-The-Post to Proportional Representation for parliamentary elections.
3. Give at least 30% of party list positions to women.
4. Allow Sierra Leoneans with dual citizenship to run for Parliament and become Ministers.
You can watch live today
For the first time, the Judiciary has allowed live broadcast of a constitutional case.
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) asked for permission on 21 September, and Chief Justice approved it.
Ten media houses will be inside the courtroom. The Independent Radio Network (IRN) will broadcast live on more than 40 radio stations across the country. You can also watch on major TV stations.
The court has warned that no commentary or analysis should be done while the case is ongoing, and no still pictures are allowed inside the courtroom.
The decision of the Supreme Court today and in the coming days will decide whether the Bill can become law or not.
