The Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), John Oponjo Benjamin, has unequivocally expressed his intention to run for the flag-bearer of the party when the time comes.
“My service to the SLPP over the years has been so unflinching to the extent that I may even choose to contest for the flag-bearer of the party when the time comes,” he declared.
Chairman Benjamin, who barely has three days to the expiration of his tenure as Chairman of the SLPP, was addressing the Press yesterday in what he termed as “my last and final press conference as Chairman of this great party” at the party’s conference hall. No other executive member was however present in the hall when he bid his final farewell.
Mr. Benjamin’s declaration of intent was triggered by a question posed to him whether he was poised to defect to the ruling APC party as is insinuated by many party members.
He initially stated that it would appear “ridiculous” of him if he should choose to defect to the APC after he had served his party with “unflinching loyalty” for so many years. Instead, he noted, rather than venturing into such “a fruitless” enterprise, he would choose to contest for the flag-bearer of the party, a decision he said, he will make in the immediate aftermath of his tenure as Chairman come Sunday, 18th August, 2013.
Meanwhile, the Chairman highlighted a number of issues that have plagued the party since the contest of flag-bearer for the 2012 presidential election ended.
Making some elucidations, he noted that despite the fact that he was able to raise enough funds for whoever emerged the winner of that contest, by allowing whoever had interest to vie for the position, Doubting-Thomases, he alleged, within the party, viewed his display of the party’s democratic tenets as “an attempt to fractionize the party” which he acknowledged is the genesis of the present impasse the party is embroiled in.
He asserted that he has always been the beacon of hope and solution to all the problems of the SLPP at a time the party was shattered following its defeat at the 2007 elections.
“I have always been the solution of all the problems of the party. I was the beacon of hope and reassurance to the party’s dejected supporters when the party was shattered by its 2007 election defeat,” Mr. Benjamin recalled.
Chairman Benjamin said his efforts at unifying the party and preparing it for election victory has caused several “unjustified” accusations to be levied against him by a section of the supporters including the former flag-bearer, Brigadier (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio.
“My relationship with Brig. (Rtd.) Maada Bio will improve on the condition that he exercises control over his supporters by putting it tough to them that he is a leader,” he declared.
He also denied, as alleged, of not supporting any of the candidates for the Chairmanship of the party at the Bo Convention. He however affirmed his support and commitment to work “diligently” with whosoever that emerges as Chairman at the convention.
John Benjamin reaffirmed his fervent membership of the SLPP, stating that he has no other political party in this country other than the SLPP. “I have being too long in the party to make a sudden dramatic change to any other party in this country,” Benjamin stated.
By Poindexter Sama
August 15, 2013
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