Monrovia – The National Democratic Coalition has reacted sharply to deregistration action taken against it by the National Elections Commission, describing it as an anti-smear propaganda campaigned which intends to promote a personal interest of Chairman Jerome Kokoyah in the impending 2017 presidential race.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah – [email protected]
“The National Democratic Coalition refute in the strongest terms as very stupid, irresponsible and a despicable lies recent verbal utterances made by the Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Jerome Kokoyah, that NEC has legally succeeded in the deregistration of NDC legal existence with the revocation of certificates of registration and accreditation of the NDC by the Sixth Judicial Civil Law Court of Montserrado County,” said Artt. Abraham Mitchell, Secretary General of the Embattled NDC.
Pronouncement of deregistration of the NDC was made by the NEC, through its Chairman, Kokoyah at an inter-party consultative meeting at the NEC Headquarters on the 21st of December, 2016.
The NEC decision banned NDC from participating in the inter-party consultative meeting.
NDC Secretary General has since frowned at the decision, saying it is against the party’s support to the Presidential bid of Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
The NEC had since attributed NDC deregistration to poor financial standings, a relative inappropriate headquarters that does not suit their set regulations. But the party argues that it currently has US$10,000 account balance contrary to the commission’s assertion.
NDC Secretary General told a news conference over the weekend that the decision of NEC is provocative and questions its body to ably administer the 2017 general and presidential elections as well as managing political parties in Liberia.
“The NDC wishes to establish that by such targeted and diabolical behavior against our party, Jerome Kokoyan and company have dislodged the border and by the time these battles against the NDC are over, Kokoyah will be ready for the Stryker Funeral home and the Duport Road Cemetery for interment politically.
Jerome G. Kokoyah who claimed to be a Counselor at Law is by all legal standing a numskull and a 21st century agent of provocation,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell argued that the NDC is currently in court with the NEC not on account of its current standing with the commission, but based on NEC lawsuit growing out of a 2013 lawsuit at the Supreme Court when 15 political parties’ certificates were revoked.
That ruling according to him, exempted the NDC and four other political parties certificates from being revoked and the NEC was accordingly instructed to revert to status quo until the matter be revisited.
This action reportedly led to the NDC participation in the special 2014 senatorial elections when the fielded several candidates including Francis Paye of Riverces County who was subsequently elected on the party’s ticket to the Liberian Senate.
NDC believed it is not proper for the National Elections Commission to make a pronouncement of deregistering it while a legal matter between the two parties is still abide.
“The NDC and NEC are still battling at the Civil Law Court. Henceforth, the NDC calls on NEC to desist from making unfounded and reckless statement about its (NDC) existence as a legal entity,” Mitchell said.
He cited a legal provision: “As clearly demonstrated by the above definition of a motion, there must be a pending action out of which a motion grows, in the instance case the movant which is NEC, seek summary judgment against the second responded which is NDC for alleged violation which occur in 2015.”
The NDC Secretary General noted that NEC had since failed to underline action out of which the motion for summary judgment grows, but instead relied on a petition filed for a separate violation which occurred in 2013.
NDC further argued that NEC has no ground of revoking its certificate or refusal to grant permission of registration, while naming Article 80 A of the Liberian Constitution as it reliance.
Moreover, Mitchell also stated that the action by NEC is intended to push the NDC into political war on behalf of some political groups as a result of the NDC decision to declare support for Vice President Joseph Boakai.
He however failed to name the political groups.
“The NDC knows who and what those forces are, these are doom creatures remnant of the old-order, presenting themselves as born-again-democrats in Liberia. They will die before they realize their dreams of taking over the presidency of Liberia as was the case of Paul Coffey.”
Meanwhile, the NDC said it was ready to argue the matter with Kokoyah at an appropriate time in line with the Liberian constitution, noting that argument put forth by NEC for deregistering the party is groundless.