Sheriff Barrie Credits Momoh’s Administration for Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution
Alex Fefegula Harding National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Acting Chairman Sheriff Barrie has credited former President Joseph Saidu Momoh with initiating the constitutional process that led to Sierra Leone’s return to multiparty democracy.
Barrie made the remarks Tuesday during an interview with Echo Media, describing Momoh as a central figure in the country’s constitutional history.
He argued that the former president’s contribution to the 1991 Constitution remains significant in understanding the foundations of Sierra Leone’s present democratic system.
“If we are talking about democracy today in Sierra Leone, J.S. Momoh is the architect because he brought the 1991 Constitution,” Barrie said.
Historical records show that Momoh established a constitutional review process in October 1990 to reconsider the 1978 one-party constitution. The review commission recommended restoring a multiparty political system, paving the way for the 1991 Constitution.
The proposed constitution passed Parliament in July 1991 before receiving approval in a national referendum in August of the same year. Momoh signed it into law on Sept. 24, 1991, and it came into effect on Oct. 1.
However, the constitutional transition was interrupted by the April 1992 military coup that removed Momoh from power. Sierra Leone’s first multiparty elections under the 1991 Constitution were eventually held in 1996.
Barrie’s remarks therefore bring renewed attention to Momoh’s role in the constitutional changes of the early 1990s and the historical process that shaped Sierra Leone’s multiparty political system.