By: Julius Gbenya
Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, Secretary General of the embattled Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has vehemently expressed his outright opposition towards the convening of a National Executive Meeting by the Chairman and Leader of the party, Chief Sumano Kapen. The meeting is slated for Saturday 9 January, 2016.
This latest development comes amid unnecessary tensions and heightened animosities between and among party stalwarts and operatives. “It shows the SLPP is not ready to take over governance just yet,” a diehard and passionate member of the party lamented.
According to Banja Tejan-Sie, the SLPP constitution is clear on who has the authority to convene national executive meetings. “I am the only one as Secretary General with the constitutional mandate to call meetings,” the irked SLPP Secretary General said over 98.1 FM this morning.
Quoting the SLPP constitution further, Mr. Tejan-Sie noted; “He/She shall summon all party meetings at National level on the advice of the Chairman and Leader and shall keep record of proceedings and minutes of all such meetings…” Against this backdrop, the Secretary General has now called his own national executive meeting to take place on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 January, 2016.
According to reports, the plan to hold a national executive meeting at this stage is to quickly and secretly install Julius Maada Bio as flag bearer.
All of this is happening despite painstaking efforts by even the PPRC to mend the cracks within the once vibrant GOP; a party that was once very peaceful and straightforward until the arrival of PA O PAS and Movements.
“We are really confused as to which meeting to attend. This is a mark of gross indiscipline, lawlessness and disunity,” another SLPP elder bemoaned.
Former SLPP kingpin and VP has urged the warring factions to show restraint as there is every likelihood that the illegally convened Saturday 9 January meeting has the potential to ignite another fresh season of violence and blood letting in the SLPP.
But a Young Generation Executive member who preferred not to be named blamed some elders of the party for flouting laid down rules and regulations of the SLPP.
This development has left tongues wagging as to whether the SLPP is fit for purpose especially under this crop of leaderless leaders leading them. But no matter what, the already widening cracks that are now a trademark of the main oppostion SLPP are getting even wider.