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Hon. Dr. Abass Bundu

Full Name

Abass Bundu

Current Position

Speaker

Candidate Political Party/Parties

Gender

Male

Election Year

Election Type

Parliamentary

Education

Bachelor of Laws | Master of Law | PhD in International Law

Bio Profile

Rt. Honourable Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu was born on 3rd June 1948 in Gbinti, Port Loko District, to Pa Santigie and Isatu Kallay Bundu.

He is a Lawyer, tactful Politician, Diplomat and the current Speaker of the House of the Republic of Sierra Leone Parliament, the highest Law Making body.

He was elected as Speaker of Parliament on 25th April 2018 by affirmatives of 70 votes out of 123 present.

Dr. Bundu is a very close ally and personal friend to His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

He is among the most senior Northern politicians and the most influential members of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party.

Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu is the older brother of Hon. Ibrahim Bundu, a member of the opposition All People's Congress and former majority leader of the House of Parliament.

From 1989 to 1993, Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu was the Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He also served at various times as Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and International Corporations.

He was the Presidential Candidate of the now-defunct Progressive People's Party (PPP) in the 1996 Sierra Leone presidential election.

EARLY LIFE
Abass Chernor Bundu was born in the rural town of Gbinti, Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone and is of Fula and Temne descent. Abass Bundu was a devout Muslim in a deeply religious Muslim household.

EDUCATION
Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu attended the St. Andrews Secondary School in Bo, the Methodist Boys' High School in Freetown, and the St. Edward's Secondary School in Freetown. While in secondary school, Bundu was brilliant, and his fellow students and teachers highly admired him.

Immediately after secondary school, Bundu left Sierra Leone as a youth and moved abroad to further his education. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Australian National University (ANU) and a Master of Laws and a PhD in International Law from the University of Cambridge, England. He is also a Barrister-at-Law.

CAREER
Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu’s numerous positions include a Law Tutor at Cambridge University, Assistant Director of International Affairs and Consultant in Constitutional Law at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London from 1975–82, Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 1989–1993, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation (1993–1995), Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources 1982–85; member of Parliament 1982-1992 and Presidential candidate in the 1996 Presidential election in Sierra Leone.

He is an expert on West African affairs and a renowned constitutional and international law expert. Bundu has written a critical analysis of the Civil War in Sierra Leone in his book entitled “Democracy by Force?” and several legal articles in various international legal journals.

OPPOSITION TO PRESIDENT MOMOH
In 1991, Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu strongly criticized President Joseph Saidu Momoh's Government for including clauses in the draft Sierra Leone Constitution 1991 that would have enabled President Momoh to contest under the 1991 Constitution with a clean slate and ignoring the 7-years stint he had served as President from 1985-1992; For this stance, he was expelled from the APC Party along with nine other people.

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
In 1996, Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu formed his own political party (PPP) and ran for President in Sierra Leone. His bid was unsuccessful. Presently he is the Speaker of the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.