Freetown, 19th February 2026– Member of Parliament, Hon. Osman Timbo, has formally questioned whether due process was followed in the tabling of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, raising concerns about compliance with the country’s supreme law.
Hon. Timbo, representing the Western Area Urban District, has written to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice seeking clarification on whether Section 108(2)(a) of the 1991 Constitution was properly observed before the Bill’s first reading in Parliament.
Section 108(2)(a) of the Constitution requires that any amendment Bill must be published in at least two issues of the Gazette, with no fewer than nine days between the first and second publication, before being introduced in Parliament.
Timbo noted that while the Bill was published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette on December 24, 2025, he and other MPs only received that single publication. He said searches conducted at the Government Printing Department and the Government Bookshop yielded no evidence of a second Gazette publication.
“In the circumstances, it appears that prior to the first reading, the Bill was not published in at least two issues of the Gazette as required by section 108(2)(a) of the Constitution,” Timbo stated. He has requested the Attorney-General to confirm whether a second publication was made and, if so, to provide a copy of the relevant Gazette.
The MP further urged that if the second publication was not done, the Bill should be withdrawn until the mandatory constitutional procedure is fully complied with. He stressed that the Constitution’s safeguards are not discretionary but binding, and that adherence is vital for legality, legitimacy, public confidence, and national cohesion.
