By Musa Paul Feika
The Leader of the Opposition in Sierra Leone’s Sixth Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, has expressed serious concern over the sudden postponement of the pre legislative hearing on the 78 Tripartite Committee Recommendations, which was scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
Speaking to Nightwatch, Hon. Kargbo said he first learnt of the postponement through social media and not through any official parliamentary communication channel; a situation he described as: “worrying and procedurally improper.”
He emphasized that, according to Parliamentary Standing Order 72(b), the agenda of the House should be determined by the Parliamentary Business Committee (PBC). This Committee, he maintained, is responsible for ensuring that all matters scheduled for debate or discussion are properly considered and agreed upon before reaching the floor of Parliament.
“Any document that goes for pre-legislative hearing must first be exhausted by the Business Committee. We must have access to the document, preview it and agree on its content before it is presented in the House,” Hon. Kargbo maintained.
But surprisingly, the Opposition Leader pointed out, he has not been granted access to the document in question and only discovered that the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) leadership in Parliament had intended to proceed with the pre-legislative hearing without prior due consultation as demanded by the Parliamentary Standing Order.
“As Leader of the Opposition, I had to write to the Leader of Government Business, Hon. Sahr Mathew Nyuma, reminding him of Standing Order 72(b), which mandates the Business Committee to set the Parliamentary agenda,” he said.
Interestingly, Hon. Kargbo disclosed that even Hon. Nyuma was not privy to the document. This, he said, prompted both leaders to contact the Office of the Clerk of Parliament, led by Mr. Karmoh Conteh, to obtain and review the relevant materials.
After doing so, Hon. Kargbo maintained that both parliamentary leaders agreed to reschedule the hearing to a later date, following thorough review and due diligence.
Hon. Kargbo confirmed that he immediately reached out to the Clerk’s Office upon seeing the postponement notice online, stressing that the opposition remains committed to following the correct parliamentary procedures.
“We will meet with the Business Committee to ensure that no procedure is circumvented. Once all issues are resolved, we will revert to those involved in organizing the pre-legislative hearing on the 78 recommendations,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Nightwatch made several attempts to obtain a response from the Leader of Government Business and the Clerk of Parliament, who issued the postponement notice.
However, due to a series of back to-back meetings, they were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.