A Liberty Party (LP’s) stalwart, Franklin Siakor, has expressed his intention for the presidency in this year’s October poll.
The Bong County former Senator who served as running mate to the late Charles Walker Brumskine of the Liberty Party in 2011 which came next to the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of now President, George Weah claimed that he is the right person at the right moment with better credentials than any presidential aspirant and with his local and international connections to rescue Liberia.
Siakor, 56, told the media in Gbarnga during the week that Liberia is down and needs redemption with workable policies in the fight against many menaces including corruption which cannot be overemphasized.
He said he has been asked by his people to contest for the presidency in the October’s poll therefore, there is no turning back as anybody would think, rather a forward march.
Siakor said the present regime has failed by not doing anything meaningful for the well-being of the people therefore the country needs him to have same uplifted which should be done now than ever.
When pressed for which faction within the Liberty Party (LP) he belongs to and the ticket he shall be contesting on, he could neither be definite nor claim of being an independent presidential candidate.
However, there are mixed reactions from the locals in the county to Siakor’s presidential bid; while others welcome the idea, others slammed it if he does not form an alliance or collaboration.
According to the reports, those supporting his bid want him form alliance or collaboration with others instead of wanting to contest as an independent candidate which could prove costly.
Before transitioning to national politics, Siakor was one of the former student leaders of the Bong County’s Chapter of the Liberian National student Union (LINSU) during the 80s.
In 2005 General Elections, he ran for the office as an independent candidate for Bong County. From 2006 to 2013, he served as Senator of Bong County but was defeated during a senatorial midterm polls in December, 2014.
In the Senate, Siakor was Chairperson of the Planning and Economic Affairs Committee, Co-chairperson of the Maritime Committee and the Posts and Telecommunications Committee, and a member of the Ways, Means and Finance Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
