Ahead of Friday’s (October 7, 2022) convention of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), disagreement seems to be brewing among members of the national executive committee of the party with the secretariat accusing the standard bearer, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, of usurpation of function.
NPP Secretary General Andrew Peters accused Mrs. Taylor of handpicking delegates for the pending convention, instead of allowing the secretariat to do its work.
Addressing a news conference in Monrovia over the weekend, Mr. Peters said Madam Taylor has failed to provide funds to transport delegates coming for the convention and instead, instructed staff from her office, Morris Paye, to usurp the authority of the party’s leadership by bringing delegates from all over the country without knowledge of the secretariat
He said it is unthinkable that the standard bearer would usurp the function of the leadership as the 45 days given to James Birney’s leadership by the court to hold convention and elect new corps of officers, elapses rapidly.
The NPP chief scribe explained that Mrs. Taylor was supposed to allocate 90,000 United States Dollars and Chairman James Biney provided 10,000 United States Dollars for successfully hosting the convention.
But responding to the allegation, the Political Advisor in the Office of the Vice President, Puoo Wesseh, denied the claim made against the standard bearer of the NPP.
According to Mr. Wesseh, the NPP Standard Bearer has already deposited funds into the party’s account for the operation of the convention, while transportation for delegates has been sent to chairpersons, who will transport others to Monrovia.
Mr. Wesseh made it clear that the NPP leadership is demanding funds for the transportation of delegates and operational funds which is against the normal procedure.
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He explained that some delegates have received their transportation fares and they will be arriving shortly for Friday’s convention scheduled for Paynesville from 7-8 October 2022.
The NPP recently announced its 7th Biennial convention for October 7-8, 2022, in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
The party said the pending convention will be held on the theme, “Unity, Commitment, Trust and Reconciliation, the requirements for a genuine national partnership.”
The aim of the convention is to elect officers that will serve for four years in the party and take it to elections thru the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change that it is in coalition with.
On September 4, 2022, the national executive committee resolved to invite 638 delegates with a budget of US$100,000, but they also agreed to reduce that number to about 310 delegates if the funding of US$100,000 cannot be raised.
Recently, the civil law court at the Temple of Justice gave a 45-day ultimatum to the James Biney leadership to take the party to national convention and elect new corps of leaders prior to elections. Editing by Jonathan Browne
