Freetown, 7th October 2026 – The Parliament of Sierra Leone has dismissed claims that the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, failed to attend a Supreme Court hearing on the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill because he was ill.
The clarification comes after Member of Parliament Hon. Hindolo Moiwo Gevao Esq., speaking on behalf of the Speaker, stated that Speaker Segepoh Thomas was absent from the court proceedings due to a bout of diarrhoea.
In a statement issued by Parliament’s Public Relations Department, officials described reports circulating on social media regarding the Speaker’s health as “completely unfounded.”
“Reports circulating on social media that Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas could not attend the Supreme Court hearing today due to illness are completely unfounded. The Speaker is out of the jurisdiction of the country on official assignment and, in any event, need not attend the hearing as the State is properly represented,” the statement read.
The Supreme Court hearing relates to legal challenges against the Constitutional Amendment Bill, a measure whose passage has generated considerable public debate. Speaker Thomas, who presided over the bill’s passage in Parliament, is listed as one of the defendants in a court case.
Parliament’s statement sought to dispel speculation surrounding the Speaker’s absence and reaffirmed that his non-appearance had no bearing on the proceedings, noting that the State was adequately represented before the court.
The constitutional amendment matter remains before the Supreme Court as petitioners seek judicial determination on issues arising from the bill’s enactment.
