Freetown — Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) will hold a high-level national press conference on Friday, 14 August 2026, to address what it calls an “ongoing constitutional abrogation” and the country’s escalating drug crisis.
The event, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at APC Party Headquarters in Freetown, follows a week of intense political confrontation over the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025. On 10 August, APC members of parliament walked out of the chamber after the Speaker ruled that individual provisions could be decided without the two-thirds majority the opposition insists is required under Section 108 of the 1991 Constitution. Parliament proceeded and passed the bill amid the boycott.
The legislation introduces major electoral changes ahead of the 2028 general elections. These include lowering the presidential victory threshold from 55 percent to 50 percent plus one, with a geographic-spread requirement of at least 20 percent of votes in two-thirds of districts; making proportional representation the permanent system for electing ordinary Members of Parliament; and establishing a constitutional 30 percent quota for women in political nominations.
The APC has said it supports some reforms, including the women’s quota and greater inclusion of dual citizens, but strongly opposes the shift to proportional representation and the reduced presidential threshold, arguing the latter encourages broader national coalitions and greater legitimacy.
In a press release issued on 12 August by Deputy National Publicity Secretary Mohamed Pope Kamara, the party said the Friday briefing will allow its leadership to set out its position on the recent developments and call for a unified national response to the drug epidemic.
That epidemic, centred on the synthetic drug known as kush, has devastated communities across Sierra Leone and spread to neighbouring countries. Laboratory testing has shown many samples contain nitazenes — synthetic opioids significantly more potent than fentanyl — mixed with synthetic cannabinoids and other substances. President Julius Maada Bio declared a national public health emergency over the crisis in 2024. Reports describe rising homelessness, crime, and premature deaths among young people, with hospitals and mortuaries under severe pressure. Recent community-assisted police operations, including the arrest of a suspect with hundreds of wraps of suspected kush, underscore the continuing challenge.
APC has invited local and international media, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society organisations, party executives, supporters and the general public. Attendees have been asked to be seated by 10:15 a.m.
The party described both the constitutional and drug issues as matters of significant national importance that require wider public engagement.
