By KABS KANU :
The Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Leonard Balogun Koroma, yesterday expressed serious disappointment with the dirty politics being played in the social media by detractors of the ruling All People’s Congress ( APC ) .
In an exclusive interview with the COCORIOKO Newspaper , the minister once again dissociated himself from an act that surprised many people in the social media when the minister’s Facebook account was seen sharing a very negative post that was levying defamatory allegations against the Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Rutile Limited, Mr. John Bonoh Sesay and the Attorney General, Mr. Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, two gentlemen that some social media commentators have linked with ambitions to aspire for the presidential flag bearership of the APC at the forthcoming elections.
Mr. Balogun Koroma quickly responded and denied sharing the negative post . He complained that his Facebook account had been hacked by the culprits who shared the article against his party comrades.
Mr. Koroma told Cocorioko yesterday that the aim of the culprits was to create division within the ruling APC . The minister stated that he could not have shared the post because first of all, the men involved were his bosom friends for whom he has the highest respect , and secondly, he grew up in the APC and knew that the issue of succession to the presidency was always decided at the National Delegates Conference chaired by the reigning Chairman of the party , who is also the Head of State. “We have a process for determining the Standard Bearer of our party and it is by consensus at the National Delegates Conference. So, we do not need to fight. ”
Mr. Koroma also said that the culprits , who are detractors of the party, knew that he was the National Elections Coordinator of the APC and thus it was a plot to set him up against Messrs Bonoh Sesay and Fitzgerald Kamara, who are also his personal friends. He affirmed profound respect for both men.
Mr. Koroma complained that there were people in the social media and the opposition who were not happy at all with the peace and stability in the ruling APC. He suggested that these detractors “want to see the APC torn asunder with internal strife and personal agendas as is happening in the opposition SLPP,” but he said he wanted to assure every partisan of the APC that the ruling party will never go the way of the SLPP. “We are a responsible and focused political party “.
He attributed the peace, tranquility and stability in the APC –which the detractors and opposition were jealous of — to the strong leadership of President Ernest Bai Koroma, who is also the Chairman of the party. Mr. Logus Koroma said that since President Koroma came to power in 2007, there has been unprecedented peace in the APC and the country, due to the strong and inspiring leadership he had provided.
“We used to have splinter groups under Presidents Siaka Stevens and Joseph Momoh, but this has not happened during the reign of President Koroma. There were students and labour unrests and even abortive coup plots but for 8 years we have been free from these disruptive events . We have peace at both party and national levels, so you can see why our detractors and the opposition are so upset and busy trying to sow seeds of discord and chaos in our midst”, Mr. Koroma emphatically stated.
I want the public to know that there is no power struggle in the APC. We are at peace and President Koroma is firmly in control”, the Transport Minister stressed.
