In a significant development, the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Hon. Mohamed Bangura and Hon. Emerson Saa Lamina, prominent figures in Sierra Leone’s political landscape, are set to be sworn in as the newest Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament.

Hon. Mohamed Bangura is stepping into the role of Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah, who had an illustrious tenure as the Head of Delegation and APC Parliamentary Leader, serving three terms.

Meanwhile, Hon Emerson Saa Lamina, the erstwhile Coalition for Change (C4C) Parliamentary Leader and Mayor of the New Koidu/Sembehun City Council, who switched allegiance to the ruling SLPP ahead of the June 24, 2023 multitier elections, will fill the shoes of Hon. Ajibola Manley-Spaine, a respected lawyer and lawmaker with three terms in Parliament. Notably, Hon. Mohamed Bangura’s decision to diverge from his party’s stance of boycotting governance following a disputed June 24, 2023 multitier elections’ outcome has stirred both internal party scrutiny and applause from others who view it as a courageous move. As one of the two members of his party in Parliament, Hon. Bangura has assumed a prominent role across various parliamentary committees, including chairing the Sixth

Parliament of Sierra Leone’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and being member of the Selection, Supervisory, Appointment, and Public Service Committees.

The news of Hon. Bangura’s addition to the ECOWAS Parliament comes on the heels of his return from the 78th United Nations General Assembly, where he was part of the Sierra Leone delegation at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in the United States of America (USA).