ANC accuses Urey of political ploy
By Winston W. Parley
The internal political fight within the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) seems far from over, as constituent party Alternative National Congress (ANC) accuses All Liberian Party (ALP) political leader Benoni Urey, also of the CPP, of executing a political ploy in a playbook of lies and deception.
Responding to accusations Monday, 27 September 2021 that ANC political leader Alexander Cummings has altered CPP’s framework document, ANC National Secretary-General Aloysius Toe accused Urey of making unfounded claims and wild allegations that he knew were “false and inaccurate.”
“He made them because he was executing a political ploy in a playbook of lies and deception,” said Mr. Toe at a press conference Monday.
In recent weeks, Mr. Urey complained to the CPP leadership, alleging that he had received cogent information from impeachable sources that portions of the CPP framework document filed with the National Elections Commissions (NEC) had been allegedly altered by some nefarious individuals within the CPP hierarchy.
“Urey has one objective: That is, Urey wants to impede the quest of Alexander Cummings for the CPP’s Standard Bearership through dubious means, and he believes he can win by every shortcut method possible. That is what Urey knows best,” he added.
Toe insisted that Urey knew that the framework document had not been altered, yet he made the claim in recent weeks that “nefarious” and “fraudulent individuals” had altered the document.
“But sadly and disappointingly, Urey did not indicate or provide any shred of evidence to substantiate his wild claims and allegations, nor will he ever do so,” Mr. Toe continued.
The ANC Chief Scribe noted that far from Urey’s devious allegations, neither Alexander Cummings nor the ANC altered provisions of the framework document.
“In fact, no provision of the Framework Agreement was added or removed. There were no such alterations! No part of the Framework Document is altered. Never!” Mr. Toe noted.
According to him, these false allegations are hatched by Mr. Urey for the benefit and to the full knowledge of a few individuals in the Unity Party (UP), supported by few persons in the Liberty Party (LP), both of which are CPP constituent parties.
He claimed that the purpose of these allegations against the Cummings is “to kill the proverbial dog that must be guilty at all cost, even if the facts prove otherwise.”
Mr. Toe explained that on 19 May 2020, the final Framework Document was signed via Zoom due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
He said each political leader, party chairman, and their support staff were at separate locations during the signing and only connected via Zoom.
According to Mr. Toe, Grand Bassa County Senator and LP political leader Nyonblee Karnga – Lawrence was in Grand Bassa, UP political leader Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai was in Paynesville, Mr. Cummings was in Sinkor and Urey was presumably on his farm in Careysburg.
He noted that each political leader had one original copy of the Framework Document and one signature page to sign on.
After the signing and publication of the Framework Document, Mr. Toe explained that there was massive public backlash on the provision of the Framework Document indicating that employment would only be for known and visible CPP members.
“This backlash prompted the need for a legal revision of the Framework Document, in order to ensure that it met legal, statutory, and constitutional standards,” Mr. Toe recalls.
He stated that all political leaders and party executives agreed that there should be a revision by relatively independent reputable lawyers after the signing.
Mr. Toe noted that the legal committee was thus constituted and upon completion of its review submitted to the ANC an amended Framework Document as well as “issues arising from the review.”
“The lawyers made their initial presentation to the Political Leaders on June 19, 2020. On June 22, 2020, the then CPP Chair, Mr. Alexander Cummings, submitted the amended Framework Document and the “issues arising from the review received from the Legal Committee to the CPP National Advisory Committee (NAC),” he noted.
Accordingly, he said all parties submitted their signed and notarized resolutions on 7 July 2020, and the UP’s Secretary-General, Mr. Mo Ali was charged with the responsibility of getting the signatures for the Framework Document from all political parties.
Mr. Toe said some political leaders and party chairs backdated their signatures on the signature sheet to reflect the date of signing of the original Framework Document, which was May 19.
“The amended Framework Document, revised by the Legal Committee and approved by all Parties on July 23, along with the ANC original of the signature sheet and the resolutions from all four Parties was notarized and filed at the National Elections Commission on the same day (July 14),” Toe said.-Edited by Othello B. Garblah
