Monrovia-The Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice has issued a Writ of Preliminary Injunction, temporarily halting the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) ongoing electoral process, following a petition filed by youth leaders who accused the current leadership and its Independent Elections Committee of violating the organization’s constitution.
By Willie Tokpah
The writ, signed on October 22,2025 by Clerk of Court Victor G. Gailor under the authority of Resident Circuit Judge J. Boima Kontoe, commands the Sheriff of Montserrado County to restrain FLY, its Independent National Elections Committee, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) from announcing any electoral timetable or conducting further election-related activities pending a full hearing of the matter.
The petitioners, United Youth for Development Services through its President, Varney C. Hilton, and two provisional presidential candidates, Samuel James Kpartor and Mandela S. Gbollei, are asking the court to declare that the respondents acted in violation of FLY’s Constitution, particularly Articles 6, 11, and 18, by conducting verification, accreditation, and election activities “inconsistent with established procedures.”
According to the writ, the court has ordered all respondents to appear during the September Term of the Civil Law Court and file their resistance to the petition on or before November 1, 2025.
Failure to do so could lead to a permanent injunction against the electoral process.
The petitioners argue that FLY’s leadership, under outgoing President Banica S. Elliott, and the Elections Committee, chaired by Brezhnev D. Paasewe, have proceeded with the verification and accreditation of delegates in violation of the Federation’s constitutional requirements for transparency, inclusion, and fairness.
They alleged that the membership regularization process was manipulated to exclude legitimate youth organizations and candidates, while others were accredited outside constitutional guidelines.
“We cannot allow a process marred by irregularities and constitutional breaches to continue unchecked,” one of the petitioners, Samuel James Kpartor, told Front Page Africa(FPA).
“This is not just about elections; it’s about protecting the credibility of FLY as the voice of young people in Liberia.”
The inclusion of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) as a respondent highlights growing concerns about alleged government interference in the Federation’s internal processes.
Petitioners claim the Ministry has overstepped its oversight role by influencing the timing and conduct of the elections.
Over the past month, several youth groups have accused the Ministry of “political meddling” and attempts to manipulate FLY’s elections, a charge the Ministry has denied.
The FLY, Liberia’s largest umbrella youth organization, had announced plans to hold its General Assembly and leadership elections in October 2025.
The Independent Elections Committee, headed by Paasewe, was tasked with managing the process, which included the verification of member organizations and accreditation of delegates.
However, the announcement sparked a wave of protests from over 30 member organizations, who cited a lack of transparency in the membership verification process, exclusion of qualified youth bodies, and non-publication of the voters’ roll.
Presidential aspirant Kpartor earlier called for an “immediate suspension” of the process, arguing that the electoral body had violated FLY’s Constitution.
His concerns were echoed by several civil society youth networks who warned that “proceeding without reforms would deepen division within the youth community.”
In response, FLY leadership defended its actions, insisting that the process was being conducted in line with constitutional requirements and under the supervision of its advisory board, which was reconstituted in late October to “strengthen governance and oversight.”
With the court’s injunction now in effect, all FLY electoral activities have been suspended until the Civil Law Court determines the constitutionality of the ongoing process.
The case is expected to be one of the closely watched civil matters in Liberia’s youth sector this year, as it tests the balance between internal association autonomy and constitutional oversight.
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