Freetown — Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas has told lawmakers that the All People’s Congress (APC) will certainly return to power, using the declaration to press Members of Parliament to approach constitutional reforms with long-term principles rather than short-term political calculations.
Speaking during the ongoing debate on the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Thomas cautioned MPs against drafting laws on the assumption that the party currently in government will remain in office indefinitely.
Political authority is temporary, he stressed, and legislation must protect the interests of the country and its citizens regardless of which party holds power.
The Speaker specifically urged lawmakers to imagine themselves sitting on the opposition benches or serving under a different administration when considering the proposed amendments.
He said MPs should not support or reject provisions simply because of the present political circumstances.
While declaring that the APC would return to power, Thomas also acknowledged that political fortunes can reverse and that the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) could itself one day find itself outside government.
He particularly emphasised that the office of the President must remain a powerful and constitutionally significant institution.
The intervention comes as Parliament continues heated deliberations on far-reaching changes to the 1991 Constitution. The Bill draws from recommendations of the Tripartite Committee set up after the disputed 2023 elections and the Constitutional Review Committee led by the late Justice Edmond Cowan.
Among the most contested provisions are the proposed reduction of the presidential election threshold from 55 per cent to a simple majority (50 per cent plus one) with a geographic spread requirement, the creation and appointment process of a Search and Nominations Committee for the Electoral Commission, and the introduction of a Proportional Representation electoral system. Other proposals include a 30 per cent quota for women nominees, fixed election dates, and opportunities for independent presidential candidates.
SLPP lawmakers have largely presented the reforms as necessary steps to strengthen democratic governance. APC MPs have demanded broader consultations and deeper scrutiny of the long-term consequences. With Parliament composed of 81 SLPP, 54 APC and 14 Paramount Chief members, constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of approximately 99 votes.
Speaker Thomas’s blunt reminder that power is never permanently owned by one party has added a sharp political dimension to the debate, underscoring that the laws made today may ultimately govern those who write them tomorrow.
