By Prince J. Musa
Conflicting reports have emerged of the Chief Minister’s name being linked to controversial issues surrounding local council and district party elections in Kenema.
Reports allege that Professor David John Francis had tried to influence the Paramount Chief of Small Bo chiefdom Mohamed Benya to immediately appoint one Councillor Ishmael Koroma as Chiefdom speaker so he could not be eligible to run for the SLPP district chairmanship election.
Sources within the ruling party claimed Prof. Francis threatened to run after those with political appointments suspected of financing the councillor’s ambition at higher district level party politics.
Politico reached the Chief Minister by text messages and ended up talking to his Media Aide Samuel Meboui on phone.
Meboui said his boss was pleased with the newspaper’s inquiries but denied any involvement in Koroma’s political affairs and had never said a word to PC Benya to the effect. “The information going round about Chief Minister is not true, he is somebody who is blunt and straight forward, he has at no point in time threatened the paramount chief for the appointment of any body as speaker including Ishmael Koroma '', said Mebuoi.
He narrated how Prof. Francis went to attend a funeral and was in the company of the city’s mayor and other key political figures including Koroma and with some of those present known to be pitching tents or at variance in support for individuals vying for various party positions in the district, he openly stated he was not getting himself involved in supporting anyone as the people should choose those they want. . “SLPP lower election has no link with Small Bo Chiefdom Speaker’s appointment. The Chief Minister has no hands on the lower level election coming and nobody should mess up his name”, he stressed.
A source from Small Bo Chiefdom who asked not to be named, claimed Councillor Koroma had sent a letter of interest to Paramount Chief Benya for the position of Chiefdom Speaker since November 2020 but the appointment was delayed and said Koroma had pleaded that the Chief defer the appointment of chiefdom speaker to March, adding that since the SLPP lower election was around the corner and if he won the party’s district chairmanship election then the speaker position can go to someone else , but should he fail to get it then he can go for the speaker position.
When asked by Politico to comment on the issue Koroma declined and only said he would first have to meet “with other members in the SLPP family”.
Chief Benya from his Blama town residence told Politico that the decision to appoint Koroma as chiefdom speaker was taken on 23 November 2020 in consultation with the chiefdom committee as required by the Chieftaincy Act of 2009.
He stated: “The Chief Minister has never called me asking that I appoint anybody in my chiefdom. He has never involved in the administration of Small Bo. I consulted the Chiefdom Committee members on the appointment of Ishmael Koroma which is my duty as a paramount chief”. He said the letter for endorsement by the Local Government Minister would have been done before this time but several activities in December delayed that.
He maintained that the appointment of Koroma as Chiefdom Speaker was known by everybody in Small Bo and it was only for them to make the official pronouncement.
“Let nobody try to accuse the Chief Minister, as he has never forced or intimidated me to do anything out of my wish. Ishmael (Koroma) is yet to tell me he doesn’t want the position and as I talk he is still my speaker until he says otherwise”, PC Benya affirmed.
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