Tyler not our leader

-LPDP official A member of the newly formed Liberian People Democratic Party or LPDP says embattled House Speaker J. Alex Tyler is not leader for the party. Speaker Tyler resigned from the governing Unity Party last year and organized the LPDP. He remains chief financier of the party, buying fleet of pickups for the 15 counties.

But the Secretary General of the Margibi County branch of the LPDP T. Nelson Saywalah told Radio Margibi recently at the launch of a membership drive in Kakata, he said Tyler is just an ordinary member like any other LPDP partisan.

According to him, those who consider the Speaker as head of the party must understand that he does not lead the LPDP. He disclosed that the political leader or standard bearer of the party will be determined at a national convention yet to be scheduled.

When he asked to name some prominent Liberians in the party Mr. Saywalah remarked: “LPDP, we don’t believe in big name or small name. We believe in Liberians; we are all Liberians; we are all equal so there is no big name, there is no small name in LPDP. Even Hon. Tyler or Moses Kollie, we are all equal.”

Speaker Tyler was indicted recently by the Government of Liberia along with several current and former officials on multiple charges, including corruption following a Global Witness report linking them to receiving over US$950 million bribe from Sable Mining of Britain to compromise Liberian concession laws in favor of the company. The indictees have pleaded not guilty.

By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. in Margibi