BREAKING: APC WALKS OUT OF PARLIAMENT
By Joseph Turay
A few minutes ago in Parliament, Members of the opposition APC staged a walkout following a ruling by the Speaker of Parliament, Solomon Thomas, on the voting procedure for the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
The Speaker ruled that the process should proceed under a simple majority vote and that Section 108 does not apply .
However, the APC has strongly objected, insisting that the matter requires a two-thirds majority of all Members of Parliament present.
Following the ruling, the Leader of the APC in Parliament, Abdul Kargbo, stood up and declared that APC MPs cannot take part in the amendment process unless the proper rules are followed, specifically a two-thirds majority vote requirement.
The opposition maintains that proceeding under a simple majority is not acceptable for such a significant constitutional matter, and has therefore withdrawn from participation in the process.
The Mayor of Freetown, Mrs. Yvonne Aki- Sawyer said: on Facebook: “ Sad day for democracy in Sierra Leone. APC MPs have said they will not be party to the violation of the 2/3 vote for constitutional amendments required by Sect 108. They have rightly exited the well of Parliament.
OTHER REPORTS
🚨🇸🇱 𝐀𝐏𝐂 𝐌𝐏𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄 🔥🚨
🔥 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐑𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐒! 🔥
APC lawmakers have walked out of Parliament after opposing a constitutional amendment process they say does not have the required two-thirds majority.
Opposition Leader Hon. Abdul Kargbo led 49 APC MPs out after lawmakers voted 96–41 on a proposal concerning the appointment of Electoral Commissioners.
Kargbo says 96 votes are not enough to meet the constitutional threshold for such an amendment.
The disagreement has now turned into a major constitutional and political showdown.
🇸🇱 Was the APC right to walk out, or should they have stayed and challenged the process from inside Parliament?
#TalkToGibril #SierraLeone #APC #AbdulKargbo #SierraLeonePolitics #SierraLeoneParliament #BreakingNews #ConstitutionalCrisis #Freetown #SaloneNews
EDITOR’S NOTE
Section 108 is unequivocal. Any and every constitutional amendment requires a 2/3 vote. The constitutional clauses can not be subject to a simple majority vote.
Leave a Reply