Sylla mortgages humanity for crumbs – says Unity Party

The ruling Unity Party has termed the recent withdrawal of its senatorial candidate for Montserrado County from the impending Special Senatorial Election, as “mortgage humanity for crumbs.”

“Why would anyone with gusto for credibility lend any credence to the falsehood that Mr. Sylla “did not enjoy support from the Unity Party leadership”? What a lie from cowards who appear to have sold out their humanity for crumbs”, said the National Secretary General for the Unity Party, Mr. Wilmot Pay at a news conference in Monrovia.

Speaking at a press conference in Monrovia, on Friday, 14 November Mr. Paye said, it is the policy of the party to speak on issues only after it has gathered all of the facts, weighed the circumstances, and verified the source. Candidate Ali Sylla announced his withdrawal recently from the impending senatorial race, citing health reasons.

According to Mr. Paye, toward the end of last week the party was awakened to news reports that candidate Ali Sylla, has written the National Elections Commission or NEC ‘withdrawing’  his candidature for an unstated “health” reason.  He described reports of Sylla’s withdrawal as a surprise to the Unity Party. The Unity Party secretary general said what is even more disturbing for the party is that it had no knowledge about Mr. Sylla’s departure from Liberia.

“It would have been reasonable had he given us a telephone call or simply sent us an SMS text message to inform us. Yet, this did not happen at all. We wonder why. To be frank, we heard about Mr. Sylla’s departure only last week—about the same time that the news first broke out. This raises questions that only he can answer. Could it be that [he] had deteriorated to such a terminal point that there was no time to inform the Unity Party?”

According to Paye, the leadership of the Unity Party received the news with utter disbelief. He then urged partisans, enthusiasts, sympathizers and friends of the Unity Party not to be deceived by the lie that the UP was written on the subject, saying, “We had no idea that this was coming, and that this had happened.”

Paye in a bitter mood explained that Mr. Ali Sylla was chosen by delegates from the Montserrado Branch during a nomination process held at the UP’s headquarters in Congo Town, outside Monrovia.

He said Sylla’s selection by delegates was in fulfillment of the party’s policy of inclusion and diversity, adding that he (Sylla) was chosen by consensus among assembled delegates, consistent with the New Election Law of 1986 as amended in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Paye maintained that at no time did Mr. Sylla ever hint the National Secretarial or a member of the Party’s leadership about any potential health problem.

He asked:  When did he develop this potential health problem? When did he develop this “health” problem? Did this problem develop at the time consultations on the new date for the Special Senatorial Election were being concluded? The Unity Party hopes that there can be an answer to this puzzle.

The UP executive noted that the lie of Mr. Sylla was reportedly exposed last week when the National Elections Commission informed Liberians and the world that there was no notice of withdrawal from the nominating party, just as was done with the filling of the nomination papers.

“In fact, we know the procedures and regulation governing Candidate nomination and withdrawal. We could never have employed any unorthodox method if we wanted to disengage. But in any case, history and posterity will judge between Mr. Sylla and the Unity Party.”

He reminded both partisans and Liberians that the Unity party is parading a slit of candidates for the special senatorial elections.  They include; J. Milton Teahjay, Sinoe County, John A. Ballout, Maryland County; Cllr. H. Varney G. Sherman, Grand Cape Mount County;  and Francis Carbah, Lofa County.

Others are Rannie Bannerman Jackson, Bong County; Morris G. Saytumah, Bomi County; Wellington Geevon Smith, River Cess County; Rosealind Sneh, Grand Kru County; Enda Lloyd, Margibi County; Conmany B.Wesseh River Gee County, and Gertrude T. Lamin, Gbarpolu County.