AYV News, July 1, 2026
President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has dismissed claims that the ongoing constitutional review process is aimed at extending his tenure in office, insisting that the exercise is a continuation of reform efforts initiated by previous administrations.
Speaking on the constitutional review process at the Presidential Townhall in Makeni, President Bio said his government’s objective is to complete a national assignment that began under his predecessors rather than amend the Constitution for personal political gain.
According to the President, former President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah laid the foundation for constitutional reform through the Peter Tucker Constitutional Review Commission, while former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma advanced the process through the Hon. Justice Edmund Cowan Constitutional Review Committee.
President Bio noted that both administrations undertook extensive consultations and made significant recommendations to modernize Sierra Leone’s Constitution, but the reform process was never fully concluded.
“I am not amending the Constitution because I want to continue staying in power,” President Bio said. “Former President Kabbah, through the Peter Tucker Commission, undertook a major constitutional review, and former President Koroma also continued the process through the Justice Cowan Commission. I am here to complete what my predecessors started.”
The President emphasized that constitutional reform is a national process intended to strengthen governance, democracy, and the rule of law, adding that it should not be viewed through the lens of individual political interests.
The constitutional review process has generated public debate, with some stakeholders expressing concerns about proposed amendments. However, the government maintains that the review is aimed at producing a modern Constitution that reflects the aspirations of the Sierra Leonean people and addresses emerging governance challenges.
The current review builds on recommendations made by previous constitutional review bodies and forms part of the government’s broader governance reform agenda.
