Chairman of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party, John Oponjo Benjamin has described as “an achievement” the meeting between President Ernest Bai Koroma and US President Barack Obama.
Koroma was one of four African leaders invited to a meeting last week at the White House on democracy and good governance on the continent. The others are the presidents of Senegal and Malawi and the Prime Minister of Cape Verde.
Benjamin was however quick to say that the achievement does not belong to President Koroma only but also to the opposition whom, he says, have “kept democracy on track in the country”.
He told Politico that if not for their “active engagement democracy would have fallen apart in the country” and assured that they would not relent in holding duty bearers to account.
Benjamin said the “achievement” should not be allowed to be a one-off and urged president Koroma to allow democracy to thrive in the country.
On whether they had been briefed on the outcome of the White House meeting by the government, he said “not at all!”
