Sierra Leone Telegraph: 11 July 2017
Sierra Leone’s main opposition party – the SLPP, suffered another major blow today, when another Flagbearer Aspirant and former Spokesman for the All Aspirants Alliance – Franklin Joe Rogers called on Vice President Victor Bockarie Foh to inform him of his resignation from the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and his decision to join the All People’s Congress (APC).
Speaking to Vice President Foh about his reasons for resigning from the SLPP, Franklin Rogers (Photo), an indigenous son of Tihun (home of Julius Maada Bio), cited among other things, the high level of violence within the SLPP as a major factor.
He said that the values of the Party have been eroded by one single individual for his sole gullible ambition to rule Sierra Leone at all cost.
The once good and admirable image of the SLPP has now been replaced by terrorist activities, he told VP Foh.
Franklin Rogers in presenting his APC Party Membership Card to VP. Foh, informed him that he, after extensive consultations with his family and supporters, decided to join the APC Party with the conviction that the All People’s Congress is the only Party in Sierra Leone that is geared towards development.
Mr. Rogers paid special tribute to the Leader and Chairman of the Party, President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma for the role he played in winning him over to the APC. He also thanked the Party’s Secretariat for making his transition to the APC a smooth sail.
Franklin Rogers pledged to work hard for the continuous growth of the Party and to help in propagating the political philosophies of the APC.
VP. Foh in his response, said he, on behalf of the Leader and Chairman and the entire membership, wholeheartedly welcome Franklin Rogers to the APC Party. He applauded the respect shown by Mr. Rogers for the Leadership of the Party and his acknowledgment of the role played by President Koroma in influencing his decision.
The APC, VP. Foh said, is a “kombra party” that stands for nation building. He reiterated that APC always appreciates and reward those who work for it. This, according to him, was demonstrated few days ago in Kenema, where the Party’s hierarchy and supporters, led by the Leader and Chairman, converged for the funeral rites of the late Joseph Bandabla Dauda, whom had served this country diligently under both the APC and SLPP.
VP. Foh however, lamented the conspicuous absence of the SLPP hierarchy at the funeral in Kenema.
Vice President Foh therefore, encouraged Franklin Rogers to stay true to his conviction. He entreated him to break free from the back-ward lot and work with people that are development oriented.
VP. Foh assured Mr. Rogers that he had come to the Party that will respect and work with him, appreciate and reward him. “You have made no mistake to come to the APC”, VP. Foh averred.
Franklin Rogers was attacked on 9th January, 2017 in broad day light, within the vicinity of the Law Courts Building on Siaka Stevens Street and State Avenue, with stones, knives and daggers, leaving him with serious injuries to his head and other parts of his body, by people he referred to as “SLPP Terrorists”.
How many more big SLPP scalps will follow before the SLPP realises that it needs major root and branch detox , is the question that the Sierra Leone Telegraph is now asking.
About the author:
This article was written by the PR/Social Media Coordinator of the Office of the Vice President of Sierra Leone. (Edited for publication here by the Sierra Leone Telegraph)
THIS IN MY OPINION IS A COMICAL DEFECTION.Our politics in Sierra Leone is hugely based on greed and corruption.
Most of those politicians who have defected from SLPP to APC or vice versa have done so not because of ideological beliefs or genuine intentions to help the masses, but because of easy access to thieving and positioning themselves in our political hierachy.
It is sad that a party like APC can and will always welcome these losers without vetting them.
APC is known for rewarding their kinds -regardless of their past history or current intensions -Victor Foh a typical example of the vouchergate era.
Franklyn has failed in trying to achieve anything. He sees the APC route as his last opportunity to enrich himself.
The people of Sierra Leone will not fall for such dishonesty anymore. Gone are the days when the ordinary Sierra Leonean admires politicians for stealing and showcasing our resources as theirs.
Franklyn – good riddance to you. You were never going to win the flag bearer contest anyway.
I do not think Mr. Rogers has been genuine to himself. I am from Tihun myself. No one knows Mr. Rogers from that town. We know that the Rogers are from Pujehun district. Tihun is in Bonthe district.
It is only in the SLPP and among us the South-easterners, where common political principles seem to be lacking.
The APC and the SLPP are ideologically different. If you have been a member of one of the party’s to the extent that you had attempted to aspire to represent that party as presidential candidate at national level, it is principally not correct that you suddenly come to the realisation one day that your values and ideals are in the ruling party and not your former party, which is in opposition and where you have weighed your chances of getting what you want to be infinitesimal.
For the records, it is well known in Sierra Leone that there was a criminal case against Mr. Rogers wherein (it is alleged) in January this year, he paid his brother who was an armed SSD police officer to accompany him to the Law Court premises.
That Officer (allegedly) ended up shooting someone on the instruction of Mr. Franklin Rogers. The person shot and almost killed was an SLPP supporter. This occurred in broad daylights in front of the Central Law Court. The SSD Officer was later arrested and he confessed that he was instructed by Mr. Rogers to shoot because he Mr. Rogers had feared that someone in the crowd was going to hurt him.
Mr. Rogers also made a statement to the CID. It could be recalled that since that incident much has not been heard from or of Mr. Rogers as he has been battling behind the scene to have the matter not criminally charged to court.
Mr. Rogers has partly succeeded because seven months on since the police concluded their investigations, nothing has come out of matter.
Seven months after that unfortunate incident, which caused Mr. Rogers to hibernate and go incognito, it is only now with his so-called choreographic announcement as an APC member that he has resurfaced.
The question that many critical minds would want to be answered is: has Mr. Rogers traded his party affiliations for his freedom because the police and judiciary in Sierra Leone we know are currently siding with the ruling party?
Like one Robin Fallah who switched his party affiliation from the SLPP in 2012 to the ruling APC party in order for the courts to quash the fraud case that the Attorney General was prosecuting against him, has Mr. Franklin Rogers taken similar steps to have the case of (alleged) wounding with intent and attempted murder dropped against him and his SSD brother (the alleged shooter)?
I think Mr. Rogers should come out clean to tell the people of Sierra Leone and the SLPP that he has been hoodwinked into switching his allegiance to the ruling APC party in order to escape the case of (alleged) wounding and attempted murder that was hanging over his head, rather than taking Sierra Leoneans for granted by telling lies that his values and ideals are more inclined to the APC than his former party the SLPP.
Mr. Rogers, we all know that your case file from the CID is at the Law Officer’s Department where it has been left to fallow. Bra, the APC has 99 tactics and could this be one of them?
In a democracy, people are free to join and leave political parties as they wish.
As much as I dislike Maada Bio, it is unfair to blame him for the greed and dishonesty of another politician.
Generally, African politicians are greedy and dishonest.
In the runoff to the 2012 general elections, Usmain Boie Kamara, John Leigh, Sembu Koroma and Kadie Johnson-Cole all aspirants, left the SLPP for the APC. Where are they today?
The APC will receive you, say all the nice things about you and offer you a job. But they will turn around and dump you to the curbside. And you better never think of aspiring to leadership in their party as their thugs will be ready for your head.
I do not envy anybody leaving the SLPP for the APC.
I am always shocked anytime people are surprised or sometimes denied that Maada Bio is perpetuating violence within the SLPP.
My point is Maada Bio is a trained soldier for most of his adult life and the main duty of a soldier is to kill or destroy your opponent by any means necessary with mainly weapons (guns and ammunitions) if peace or negotiations failed.
Unfortunately the SLPP in the back of their minds always perceived the APC as a violent party so the only candidate that can respond appropriately to them will be Maada Bio.
But the risk for Maada Bio is the current interior minister ( Fomer head of the military Palo Conteh) who also happens to be the nephew of the late president Joseph Saidu Momoh and late police chief Bambay Kamara.
Palo is now responsible for maintaining law and order in the country especially during the election season.
So any false move by Maada Bio during that period can be perceived as undermining the peace and security of the nation and only God knows what the outcome will be.
It’s now apparently clear that Maada Bio will be the flag bearer of the SLPP so all they need to do now is rally behind him and wish him good luck.
This is very serious. Maada must go for the good of the party and country. He is driving good people from SLPP. Very sad.