Flag bearer aspirant of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) John Oponjo Benjamin has reacted to nomination fees announced by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) saying they don’t have the mandate to conduct flag-bearer elections.
In a telephone interview, Benjamin said it is not the business of the current executive to talk about monies because their mandate has expired so “they should conduct election so that they exit the office, they should have no business to collect monies on behalf of a new team, and they should leave the job for the new team.”
He said the executive should not think, “that they will get away with murder. They should be rest assured that whatever they are doing we would ensure that the court should confirm it is right. If the court decides that it is right, then we will pay the Le120m.”
Benjamin maintained that his actions are in the best interest of the party, ”if I happen to be elected as flag-bearer I would not want to be in a situation … (where) somebody petitions that my election was not done the proper way.”
“That is why we want to go to court and put it in records, that what they were doing is right or wrong. If they (are) right then I will pay the money and contest.”
Secretary General of the Party Alie Badara Mansaray said the issue raised by John Benjamin is wrong as this was a matter that [Benjamin] has raised to the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) and the Commission has clarified it, that it is not the executive that is conducting the flag bearer elections but it will be conducted by an Independent Elections Monitoring Oversight Committee (IEMOC).
He disclosed that the Supreme Court gave a ruling that NEC which is constituted by National Officers, Regional Chairmen, former and current members of Parliament “we as National Executive officers term has ended but we implement decisions of NEC. So the decision for flag bearer is not coming from us but NEC.”
Mansaray furthered that they were given the mandate by NEC to open nominations for the flag bearer and to prescribe fees for the said office.
By Betty Milton
Wednesday August 23, 2017.
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