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UP’s olive branch sparks mass resignation?

Frantic effort by the former ruing Unity Party to unite its partisans both at home and abroad appears to have sparked current mass resignation in the Weah-led government, which seems to be dominated by officials from the past regime.

Deputy Foreign Minister B. Elias Shoniyin resigned his post in May this year and subsequently left for the United States after he was selected as a 2019 Yale University Maurice R. Greenburg World Fellow.
The former Liberian diplomat spent 12 of his 13 years in public service under the former UP-led government at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs beginning 2006. He resigned his position in May 2019, citing professional and personal reasons.

Another high profile official from the previous administration, who also worked with the CDC-led government but resigned in October, is the Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Tolbert Nyenswah. Mr. Nyenswh is currently in the United States.

Alton Vanie Kesselly, a Deputy Minister for Planning, Research and Development at the Ministry of Education sought annual leave since July 2019 and is presently in the U.S.The Director-General of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Alex Cuffy who previously served under the Sirleaf administration before he was retained by the Weah administration, quitted his job this year, but the Executive Mansion kept the resignation as a secret. However the resignation letter was subsequently leaked on social media.

Last week, two officials from the Sirleaf government that have been working with the current administration, Gregory Coleman, who headed the Bureau of Concessions and the Comptroller at the Liberia Anti Corruption Commission, J. Bernard Nagbe tendered in their letters of resignation. Nagbe cited delays in salary payment as reason for his resignation.
They may seem as a coincident, but the resignation of these officials, all in this year, comes at a time when the former ruling UP has gone all out to reunite with all of its members both in the country and in the United States.
Currently led by Ambassador Joseph Nyemah Boakai, former President Sirleaf’s Vice President for 12 years, the UP recently dropped a legal battle before the Supreme Court against its ex-standard bearer after Mr. Boakai and Mrs Sirleaf met privately here.

The Unity Party had expelled the former President and three others, including former Secretary General Patrick Worzie.
In a letter dated Tuesday, 12 November 2019 addressed to Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi and Attorney-At-Law Kunkunyon Wleh Teh both of the International Law Group in Monrovia, Mr. Worzie wrote, “We wish to inform you that parties to the above mentioned case have accepted the ruling of the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) in our favor, and are therefore, withdrawing the appeal to the Supreme Court.

In consideration of this, we accept their decision to withdraw the case from the Supreme Court; and hereby write to instruct that you act accordingly to allow the withdrawal to stand.”Prior to Mr. Boakai’s engagement with ex-standard bearer Sirleaf, he had held town hall meetings with Diaspora-based UP partisans, particularly in the United States, where he delivered a passionate speech, rallying them back to the party.

Political analysts and commentators reading into all of this, say the UP might have well embarked on a campaign to reconsolidate its support ahead of senatorial election in 2020, and presidential election 2023.
Many also fear that the reemergence of former President Sirleaf at the UP has energized partisans for the upcoming elections.

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