CDC gets 41,500 fine

The National Elections Commission or NEC has fined the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change or CDC for violations of standing rules of the Commission.

Speaking to The NewDawn Wednesday during the observance of the 58th Armed Forces Day in Monrovia, CDC Chairman Nathaniel McGill, said the NEC imposed a fine of US$500 on the party for grossly violating rules of the Commission.

According to NEC rules, for a registered political party to conduct mini-congress or congress, information about said congress must be published in a local daily for seven working days, provision, which the CDC did not adhere to.

However, Chairman McGill argued that the party published information about the recent congress in one of the local dailies here, The Monrovia Times, but NEC differed with the CDC on grounds that the daily is not a reputable media alert in the country.

The NEC had earlier rejected results of the mini-congress held in Bensonville, outside of Monrovia on grounds that the political leader, Senator George Weah, had disagreement with his former Chairman, George Solo, which hasn’t been resolved by the Commission. 

The elected Chairman McGill said the party has accordingly paid the said amount into government’s coffers, and that the receipt was subsequently presented to the NEC board of commissioners.

At the same time, the NEC has dismissed the case involving former Chairman Solo and the CDC. The Commission in its ruling said, Solo did not follow the guidelines of the party and the National Elections Commission, which states among others that when an official of a political party is removed from office, that official has right to take a formal complain to congress, but the ex-Chairman did not follow suit; instead, he took the case to both the Supreme Court of Liberia and the NEC.

However, NEC warned that former Chairman Solo still has the opportunity to take the matter to the congress of the CDC, which is expected to be held within two years.

On September 23, 2014, some officials of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) expelled Chairman George Solo.

According to the 11 Executive Committee members, who signed a vote of no confidence in Solo’s leadership, his rule has not been in the best interest of members of the party.

Mr. Solo was declared expelled with immediate effect and replaced by the party’s Deputy Secretary General, Samora P.Z. Wollokollie.

In a press conference held in Monrovia, the CDC Vice Chairman for Operations, Mulbah Morlu, claimed that Chairman Solo was on a scheme to sell the party to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s son, Mr. Robert A. Sirleaf.

According to him, the CDC Chairman received money to pledge the party’s support to Bob Sirleaf.

Through the influence and advice of its CDC political leader, George Weah, a committee was constituted to probe Solo, and following weeks of investigation, the Samuel Tweah-led committee recommended that Solo’s suspension from the party for two consecutive years.

The committee stated: “Considering that the National Chairman is guilty on three of the four charges brought against him by the National Executive Committee of the Congress for Democratic Change, the Grievance and Ethics Committee upholds the suspension of the CDC National Chairman George Solo.”

The committee concluded that the National Executive Committee’s action met the cause requirement imposed by Article 5, Section 46 of the CDC constitution, as has been severally established and demonstrated in its findings.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor