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Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) flagbearer aspirant Mohamed Omodu Kamara, widely known as Jagaban, has thrown his weight firmly behind the party leadership, urging unity and discipline as lawmakers resume debate on the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Kamara attended the APC Parliamentary Caucus at Tower Hill on Monday as legislators continued deliberations that have exposed deep partisan rifts, particularly over proposals to change the presidential election threshold and introduce a Proportional Representation system.
“I’m with the leadership of the APC party, so I’m here to support the MPs and make sure they stick firmly to the party’s decisions. Whatever comes out of it, comes out of it,” Kamara told reporters.
His appearance comes as the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and opposition APC clash over three major provisions: reducing the presidential victory requirement from 55 per cent to a simple majority of 50 per cent plus one vote, overhauling the Electoral Commission appointment process, and adopting a district-block Proportional Representation system for parliamentary seats.
The proposed changes, published in the Gazette in December 2025, also include fixed election dates for the second Saturday in November, a legal pathway for independent presidential candidates, and a 30 per cent quota for women nominees.
Kamara, who said he would continue engaging stakeholders nationwide, emphasised that Sierra Leone’s progress depends on “cooperation and shared purpose” rather than partisan division.
His position aligns him with the APC’s formal rejection of the Proportional Representation system and the proposal to lower the presidential threshold. The party has warned that the PR system marginalises youth and grassroots candidates and undermines accountability.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, who piloted the Bill, has defended the reforms as “not partisan, but generational,” drawing on recommendations from the Tripartite Committee formed after the contested 2023 elections.
Parliament currently holds 81 SLPP seats, 54 APC seats, and 14 Paramount Chiefs. Any constitutional amendment requires at least two-thirds of all MPs—approximately 99 votes—to pass, a threshold that demands cross-party consensus. Entrenched clauses would additionally need approval in a national referendum.
Debate is expected to continue through the committee stage as lawmakers negotiate disputed clauses that could reshape the nation’s democratic architecture for generations.
