The Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL) announces its withdrawal from the Council of Patriots (COP), organizers of the June 7, 2019 protest with immediate effect, becoming the second to jump the boat after Margibi County Senator Oscar Cooper.
The EFFL, headed by Commander-In-Chief Emmanuel Gonquoi, is a leftwing, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist political organization that emerged after the departure of the administration of ex-president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. It is critical of the George Weah regime.
In a press statement issued in Monrovia Tuesday, 25 June the movement among others, accuses the COP of failure to appropriately exonerate itself from alleged financial malpractices, alleged disrespect and wanton disregard for the popular will of the Liberian people; self-glorification and popularity seeking; failure of the current leadership to step down; and COP leadership’s alleged betrayal of Montserrado County district#10 Representative YekehKolubah.
It details that the COP failed thus far to have by now transparently clear itself of tons of allegations of corruption brought against it by multiple accusers from several quarters of the society.
“From since June 7, 2019, it has been more than two weeks, in our estimation, more than enough time, for the COP leadership to have made public a comprehensive and a proper financial report. Instead, what we have seen is a questionable report out of which oozes half-truths and smells with corruption as well”, the statement reads.
On the claim of disrespect and disregard for the will of the Liberian people, it says the COP leadership unjustifiably refused to have presented the petition statement to the Government of Liberia’s representatives present at the protest site that day or to the ECOWAS Ambassador and his team that turned out to monitor the protest, saying, “We see this act on the part of the leadership of COP as being disrespectful and anti-peace; undemocratic tendencies that the EFFL will not embrace, because what such tendencies do is to only send forth a message of undermining our country hard-earned peace that we continue to enjoy in this democratic space in spite of the current dingy and stuffy economic dilemma the country is engulfed in.”
According to the EFFL, there are some members in the COP leadership who think it’s because of their popularity that the Liberian people gathered on June 7, 2019, and that without their involvement the protest would have been a failure. Hence, it says those people see themselves as not being answerable to anyone, as regards issues of transparency, accountability and fair play.
“Let the word go forth that the EFFL says it is absolutely no single individual’s popularity that made Liberians to come out in their droves. As a matter of fact, the people assembled to register their dissatisfactions over bad governance and economic stagnation as a result of national leaders who are misfits and corrupt.”
On alleged failure of the current COP leadership to step down, the statement notesthatOn June 9, 2019, a meeting was held at the Old Road, Sinkor Headquarters of the All Liberian Party, out of which grew several decisions including an unanimous decision for the current COP leadership to step down and make way for a new team of leaders, but the current leadership is reneging.
Lastly, the EFFL says it isinconceivably scaring, how the COP leadership would have so cruelly omitted from the petition, issues concerning the matter of life and death of one of its founding members, in person of Montserrado County District #10 lawmaker, Representative YekehKolubah.
The movement describes Rep. Kolubah, who has been indicted by the government on multiple charges, including terroristic threats, as a man, who has and continue to advocate for social justice, and has stood up to the Weah-led government in its wicked desire to entrench bad governance, to the point where he is a classic victim of witch-hunt by the very government he is a part of, but yet is standing up against.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, fellow leaders and fighters both in the Diaspora and Liberia, our Liberian people, it is for such deceit and hypocrisy from men in disguise as patriots but who are in reality schemers looking to take advantage of the people, that we today withdraw from the COP”, the statement concludes.
The Council of Patriots, thru its official spokesman Darius Dillon, has not officially responded to the barrage of allegations levied by the EFFL. Press Statement
