Plans Special National Convention:
The Executive Committee (EC) of the embattled Liberty Party (LP) has announced the removal of several officials from their positions including Senators Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence as the party’s political leader and Darius Dillon as vice chair for political and Legislative Affairs.
Others removed from their positions are Mr. Debar Allen, National Advisory Council Chair/NAC Rep to NEC, Jacob Smith, Daniel Sando, Vice-Chair for Press and Public Affairs, George Gaybue, County Chair, Grand Bassa County, Eugene Tarr, County Secretary, Grand Bassa County, Agatius Coker, Vice-Chair for Auxilliary Services, Romeo Coker, County Chair, Montserrado County and August Fredericks, Vice-Chair for Inter-Party and NEC Affairs
The rest are Sen. Steve Zargo, Reps. Jonathan Kaipay and Hans Barchue who were members of the Legislative Caucus, Prince Toles, Vice-Chair for Mobilization, Augustine Nyormui, County Secretary, Montserrado, and McCarthy Weh and Prescilla Cooper, NEC Eminent Members.
The EC announced the decision Saturday, Mar. 5, following months of threats to expel them from the party for their noncompliance postures with the party’s financial rule.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the party also noted that it has planned to hold a special national convention to review its relationship with the Alternative National Convention and its membership with the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) in the wake of the withdrawal of the Unity Party and the All Liberia Party (ALP).
It could be recalled that in a letter dated December 6, 2021, signed by Mr. Bility, the party’s National Chairman, and addressed to Sen. Karnga-Lawrence, the LP noted that its political leader and other senior members were not in good standing with the party as it relates to their dues obligations and payments as defined by Article IX of the LP Constitution.
LPs Article IX states: “Persons accepted as members of the party shall pay a monthly fee as may from time to time beset by the NEC…Members in good standing are members whose …membership dues are fully current and up to date…Members who are not in good standing shall not be allowed to hold any office within the party, and if such member holds a position in the party, elected or appointed, he/she shall be suspended from the office by NEC, until he/she shall have resumed the status of a member in good standing. If after three (3) months, such member is still delinquent, he/she shall be permanently removed from the office and may also be expelled from office.”
The 16 officials were given ninety (90) days to remedy their deficiencies, as constitutionally required, and notified them of the same. “The ninety-day period has expired and, to date, the suspended officials have not remedied the deficiencies. As such, the LP EC has removed the suspended officers from the position in the party in line with the Constitution”, the party said in its statement while taking the decision to remove the officials.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
According to the constitution of the party, removal from office of defaulting dues-paying officials is one of the penalties meted out and expulsion from the party is the final decision after said official fails to remedy the outstanding obligation, It is not yet clear if they will be finally expelled from the party.
In their press statement signed by Martin Kollah and approved by Musa Hassan Bility, National Secretary General and National Chairman respectively, the party furthered that it was reviewing the relationship it entered with the ANC last year in which it endorsed the standard bearer and political leader of the party, Alexander B. Cummings as its choice to lead the sole ticket of the CPP during the 2023 but since then the relationship has not been successfully consummated.
“During its December 2021 Special National Convention (SNC), the LP resolved to endorse the candidacy of Alexander B. Cummings, Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), as the Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), subject to execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the LP and the ANC outlining the agreements reached and proffered to the SNC for approval. To date, we have not been able to successfully consummate the relationship, by executing the MOU, and are duty-bound to report back to the SNC, from which the mandate derived”, the party said.
At the end of its special national convention held in Ganta, Nimba County in December 2021, Chairman Bility, while announcing the outcome of the gathering which included the suspension of Senators Lawrence, Dillon, Zargo, Kaipay and others, disclosed the LP had decided to endorse the candidature of Cummings to lead the CPP at the time into the 2023 presidential election.
The ideal was for the LP to work with the Cummings team through close collaboration and vigorous campaign and that a formal agreement was expected to be signed to take care of the demands put forward by LP. None of the demands were made public but it has been speculated that one of the demands was to pick a member of the LP as running mate to Cummings.
The third decision, according to the release is to review the party’s membership with the Collaborating Political Parties(CPP) in the aftermath of the withdrawal of two other constituent members, the Unity Party of former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and the All Liberia Party(ALP) of Benoni Urey.
“With the withdrawal of the All Liberian Party (ALP) and Unity Party (UP), the LP will be reviewing the relationship within the CPP and exploring all options available moving forward. The LP assures the public that it remains committed to ensuring the objectives of the opposition and that these will be paramount in any LP discussions and decisions”, the party said.
The release further said that the party has voted to convene once again a special national convention (SNC) to review and deliberate on the issues concerning the relationship it has with the ANC and the CPP, the opposition bloc which pundits believe has lost its steam after witnessing series of crises including the crucial aspect that has to do with who heads the ticket and the allegation of alteration of the framework document levied against Cummings by Urey and presently being contested in court.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/?s=Bility+flexes+muscles
