John Oponjo Benjamin can unite SLPP for victory at Sierra Leone’s polls in 2028 – Op ed

Yankuba Gbassa Kai-Samba: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 16 July 2026:

John Oponjo Benjamin (JOB) is best equipped to succeed President Bio and ensure he enjoys a peaceful retirement. No other aspirant has the backbone to do that.

Leadership is not just about having a job. It is about courage and purpose — the ability to navigate complex political minefields with clarity and conviction, to neutralize potential conflicts, and to deliver results for the collective good of the people and the country. John has those qualities.

The SLPP and Sierra Leone cannot afford to gamble in 2028. John Oponjo Benjamin is the “devil you know” and in this case, that is a strength.

Tested in Power and in Crisis  

JOB is the only presidential aspirant of the SLPP party who served as National Chairman and Leader, and Minister of Finance in the immediate post-war government, and was Senior Presidential Adviser in every SLPP government since 1996.

He was also a senior member of the military-led NPRC executive that ended APC one-party rule in 1992.

He ran the party when it was down, and he ran government ministries when the party was up. No other contender has that depth of operational knowledge, executive experience, and capacity.

Shared History and Trust with President Bio  

Both men served together in the NPRC. Both have taken risks for the SLPP.  With JOB, President Bio can retire peacefully knowing the party and country are in safe hands. No surprises. No betrayal of their shared knowledge, experience, and commitment to the SLPP.

The Mahama Lesson: Don’t Listen Only to Appointees  

President John Mahama of Ghana lost his second bid in 2016 in part because he became surrounded only by appointees. He later admitted he should have listened more to critics and to the wider party.

JOB does not have that problem. He has spent his entire career listening to the base, to the regions, and to dissenting voices inside the SLPP. He is not a product of one clique. He is a product of the whole party.

The Choice 

In uncertain times, the devil you know – the man with experience, with shared memory, and with the trust of both the outgoing President and the grassroots — is better than untested disciples.