Monrovia – Nearly three months after Wilmot Paye’s unceremonious departure from the former ruling Unity Party, the race is heating up to find a replacement. Although the party is one of four parties in in the Coalition of Political Parties along with the All Liberian Party, Alternative National Congress and Liberty Party, the quest for leadership heading into key decision-making agenda items is key.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
Paye’s removal came as a result of recommendations made by the Special Investigative Committee established by the National Elections Commission(NEC) to investigate actions and decisions taken by Mr. Paye that contravened the party’s constitution and brought to question the reputation of the party both locally and internationally.
Isaac Mannah, has been acting as Vice Chairman in consultation with the leadership leading into the party’s extraordinary convention within a period of two months. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic however, those plans were shelved.
Now, FrontPageAfrica has learned, it is back on the burner.
No former ruling party has returned to power in Liberia’s recent history and the UP and couple with the climax of the 2017 elections, the party is in dire straits in hopes of resurrecting its political edge
In January 2018, shortly after the 2017 elections which brought President George Weah to power, the party expelled its former standard bearer, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, alleging that she failed to support her vice president of twelve years, Joseph Boakai.
The party also alleged that she encouraged partisans of rival parties to vote against Boakai.
Late last year, Sirleaf, in an attempt to make amends, began making inroads in hopes of resolving the strains between Boakai and the partisans of the UP.
That effort moved a step closer last November when lawyers representing told the Supreme Court that the former Vice President had withdrawn his opposition to the reinstatement of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, after she was expelled for over a year from the party.
The lawyers explained that Mr. Boakai took the decision after holding discussions and reconciliation meetings with his long-time friend and former boss, with who he served at the helm of national leadership for 12 years.
“After several discussions and reconciliation meetings, we unanimously agreed to resolve our differences by withdrawing our appeal filed before the Supreme Court, challenging the reinstatement of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and three other partisans by the National Elections Commission (NEC) Board of Commissioners,” the lawyers said, quoting Vice President Boakai’s acceptance of the board of commissioners’ decision to withdraw the case.
Immediately afterwards, the Supreme Court entered into a judgment without opinion, where they affirmed the ruling of the NEC Board of Commissioners and subsequently reinstated former President Sirleaf, Patrick Worzie, Senator Conmany Wesseh, and Madam Medina Wesseh to the party.
The reinstatement decision resulted when lawyers representing the parties (Sirleaf and Boakai) filed with the court a joint ‘Notice of Voluntary Withdrawal’, to which they agreed that their respective clients were aware of, and gave approbation to the voluntary withdrawal of the Bill of Information filed before the Court.
Shortly after leaving the courtroom, Madam Sirleaf’s lawyer, Jonathan Massaquoi, described VP Boakai’s action as announced by lawyers representing him, as “victory for the party.
Since then, Sirleaf has reportedly been working behind scenes to resuscitate the party back to life.
Over the past few weeks, four of the parties stalwarts have made their intentions known about contesting for the parties leadership.
FrontPageAfrica now takes a look at the four who have reportedly expressed interest in the leadership of the former ruling party.
WORLEA-SAYWAH DUNAH
Dunah, a veteran national politician and political leader, has served twelve years in the National Legislature from 2006 to 2018 rising to the posts of Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives and Head of the Legislative Delegation to the African Caribbean Pacific and European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly ( ACP –EU JPA). In politics I am a progressive with adherence to the ideology of social democracy.
Currently I am a practicing lawyer with the Century Law Offices on Ashmun Street, which is headed by former Attorney General Cllr. Koiboi Johnson; and also work as an independent consultant on governance, public policy, and politics.
A product of the University of Liberia, he read political economy at undergraduate level and completed a professional law degree at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law. At the University of Liberia I had very short stint in students politics with the Students Integration Movement (SIM) before disengaging to join real national politics.
While still a student at the University of Liberia in 2000, I started my political journey as a Founding Executive of the New Democratic Alternative for Liberia Movement (The New DEAL Movement) under the President Taylor tyranny. I served as Chairman of National Committee on Youth Affairs, Assistant National Secretary General and National Secretary General during the period 2000 – 2009.
In College, Dunah founded the Center for Peace Education and Democracy (COPE) , a pro-democracy group that participated in the disarmament of ex-combatants in 2003-2004. I won several grants and employed ten Liberians between 2003 to 2006 before I left to work at the legislature.
In 2005, running under the umbrella of the New DEAL Movement, he won the first Electoral District # 3 in Nimba County and was re-elected as representative of Electoral District # 7 in 2011; in the 2017 elections I stood down, notwithstanding that I was heavily involved and ensured the Unity Party to retain the district through the elections of Hon Roger Domah.
His association with the UP started with the Presidential Runoff Elections of 2005; the then-candidate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appealed to us to lead her charge in vote-rich central Nimba amongst the Dan/Gio people against the Congress for Democratic Change campaign led by the then Senator-elect Prince Johnson. In the ensuing contest which was critical for the Nimba victory, we lead a decisive crushing of Senator Johnson led CDC outfit providing the huge numbers for the historic turnabout in Nimba which resulted in the victory of Madam Sirleaf.
He formally joined the UP in 2009 and became the Secretary of its Legislative Caucus from 2009 – 2012. Again in the elections of 2011, when Senator Johnson’s NUDP swept the polls in Nimba defeating seven incumbent Unity Party lawmakers we again prevailed against that force, halted the sweep by retaining our seat and thereby consolidated the Zoegeh Statutory District and Saclepea Mah Statutory District which includes the Bahn and Saclepea cities as the bastion of the Unity Party in Nimba.
Dunah is a devote Christian, father of five, married and member of the largest church in Nimba County, the United Liberia Inland Church and worship with the VP Road , Sinkor branch. He was born and reared at the Bahn Inland Mission where I started schooling under the tutelage of British and Canadian missionaries.
CHANCES: Dunah’s stellar rise in the party may be thwarted by the fact that a Nimbaian just exited the role as chairman. The party may want to avoid putting another Nimbaian in the post after Paye’s exit. Additionally, Dunah is up against serious issues of trust among some partisans who thinks he may be quietly sympathizing with the ruling CDC due to his ties to Bill Tweahway and Pro Temp Albert Chie. On party executives says they were taken aback recently when Dunah was introduced to some UP Senators by Sen. Chie as the incoming Chairman of UP.
AMIN MODAD
Amin Modad was born in Monrovia, Liberia on December 23rd 1975. He is a surprising change to the political landscape. He is the CEO of the MI Group, a 100% Liberian owned company with diversified investments in Hospitality, Realestate Development, and Food Production. He has always been a trailblazer; in addition to owing the largest Liberian owned hotel, he also owns the Atlantic Foods Company, which is the largest Liberian owned food & beverage company. With over 20 years of public and private sectors experience, Amin Modad is one of Liberia’s few trade development experts and postwar business success stories.
He has served as Liberia’s representative to the World Trade Organization, headed the multi-donor funded Enhanced Integrated Framework Program in Liberia, and served as Sr. Policy Advisor to the government of Liberia on trade and investment. He has played a key role in Liberia’s post-conflict recovery especially with regards establishing key economic policies and Liberia’s integration into the multilateral trading system.
Mainly staying in the background, he has been a long-standing supporter of the Unity Party. He has not only demonstrated success in terms of business, but also as an innovative technocrat and institutional builder. He has little or no political baggages; and, generational change can’t get better than this. Many see him as an assertive, well connected, and levelheaded leader who would bring refreshing credibility to the party and national political arena.
CHANCES: Modad has been a strong supporter of the party and has strong influence in the business community. Will the party cut him some slack? A major propaganda against him is his background. His critics say he is not a Liberian but he thinks that those are mere propaganda and he has challenged those proffering this argument to prove that he’s not a citizen.
CONMANY B. WESSEH
A product of the progressive era, Senator Wesseh is distinguished as a social entrepreneur, a pro-democracy advocate, a political leader, and a peace and security campaigner and arms control promoter.
He rose from dedicated youth and student leadership positions at local, national, continental and international levels including Presidency of the University of Liberia Students Union (1978), founding President of the Liberia National Students Union LINSU (1979-81) and Deputy and Acting Secretary-General of the All Africa Students Union in Accra, as well as, Executive Representative to the International Union of Students (1982-89). He moved on to Directorship of the W.E.B. Dubois Memorial Center for Pan- African Culture in (1989-91) in Accra.
Returning to Liberia after ten years of political exile imposed by the then military/civilian regime, Mr. Wesseh played extraordinary roles in the search for peace to end the 14 year-war, participating in peace negotiations, helping to create peace agreements especially the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement of August 18, 2003. Not only was he one of the active facilitators of the cessation of hostilities and disarmament of warring factions in Liberia, he is widely acknowledged among arms control advocates and campaigners worldwide. In that connection, he helped found and chaired the West Africa Action Network on Small Arms and served as founding executive of the International Action Network on Small Arms (1998-2003). During a good deal of these years, he was the Executive Director of the pro-democracy Centre for Democratic Empowerment (1996-2003); and later became Liberian government Chief negotiator and signatory of the UN Arms Trade Treaty as he championed and chaired the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (2006 –12) during which time he was honored as Goodwill Ambassador for Arms Control.
Among other key services were Special Adviser on the Peace Process to the President of the Interim Government of National Unity (1992-94), Minister of Youth and Sports (1994-96), Member, National Transitional Legislative Assembly, chairing the leadership Committee on the Peace process and National Reconciliation (2003-06), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation and Economic Integration (2006-09), Ambassador/Special Envoy(2009-12) and Minister of State Without Portfolio(2012-14).
In 2014, the people of River Gee County elected Ambassador Wesseh as Senator where he is chairing the Joint Legislative Modernization Committee and the Committee on Youth and Sports. He is serving as ranking member of the Committees on Defense, Security and Veteran Affairs; Education and Public Administration; Public Works; Land Mines Energy and Environment; and Local Government, Peace & Reconciliation.
Senator Wesseh is a respected servant of the people and a champion for Peace, Security and Progress. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Liberia, a Master of Public Administration degree with specialization in Development Administration from the University of Ghana, Legon (1987) and earned numerous certificates in many fields and received other relevant credentials and awards from many parts of the world.
He is married and has five children – one girl and four boys.
Senator Wesseh’s political organizational leadership experience covered the Movement for Justice in Africa, the Liberian People’s Party and the Liberia First Group which merged with the Unity Party leading to UP’s first victory in 2005 thereby producing the first women –Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – to be democratically elected as President of an African country and for her to make history by peacefully handing over power (after two terms of six years each) to another democratically elected government after 74 years.
CHANCES: As the elder statesman of the four candidates in the running, Wesseh comes to the table with a lot of expertise but his loyalty to the former President could deter some partisans away from his candidacy. Some partisans see Wesseh as a divisive figure who fuels confusion. Also going against him? Some partisans say he did not fully support the party in the 2017 election. Others think that he has been around for a long time and it is now time for a new breed of young people to take over the leadership of the UP.
GEORGE G. WISNER II
Wisner is a Unity Party faithful and an experienced and multifaceted politician and professional, who has dedicated more than 25 years of his life to selflessly championing the cause for social justice, democratic freedoms, and socio-economic transformation of Liberia. He entered the national limelight at the tender age of 18, during the height of the civil war in 1990. Since then, he has built a solid track record of commitment, discipline, consistency, and integrity as a political strategist, social entrepreneur, diplomat, governance and public policy expert, scholar and academician, civil society activist, and community organizer. He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer of International Development at the African Methodist Episcopal University Graduate School, and founder and Chief Executive Officer of Equilibrium Point Investment, a consultancy, management, and equity holding firm, established in 2003, incorporated in 2011, and amended in 2017 under the Association Laws of Liberia and the Liberian Business Law established.
Wisner is a poet and novelist. His novel, “When the Heart Decides” has sold more than 50,000 copies in the United States and Australia. He also co-authored a country report on “Employment Opportunities and Working Conditions of Rural and Peri-Urban Youth in Liberia” on behalf of the United Nations Development Program in Liberia in 2007.
Wisner has made significant contributions to the post-war economic recovery and development of Liberia, serving two successive administrations of the Unity Party under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf between 2008 and 2018. He first served as Executive Director and briefly as Acting Chairperson (during the resignation of the Chairperson during the ebola virus outbreak) of the National Investment Commission of Liberia (NIC) between 2014 and 2018. At the NIC he worked tirelessly to attract significant Foreign Direct Investment to Liberia through innovative policy reforms, investment conferences and seminars in Europe, Republic of South Africa, China, and the United States, and providing technical assistance to the Inter-Ministerial Concession Commission negotiating investment concession contracts on behalf of the Government of Liberia. He played a pivotal role in the post-ebola economic recovery by designing a roadmap for private sector development and advancing several policies including the Public Private Partnership Policy, the Special Economic Zone policy (precursor of the NSEZ Law), the Local Content Policy, and the Private Sector Development Strategy.
He left from being National Consultant of UNDP/ILO to become Assistant Foreign Minister for African and Asian Affairs in 2008. For the next four years he stayed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2008-2012) as one of Liberia’s top diplomat, he helped coordinate resource mobilization efforts for Liberia’s post-war reconstruction and development by deepening cooperation with friendly governments in Africa and Asia and opening up cooperation possibilities in other areas. He was also a Technical Resource Person, representing Liberia on the Mano River Union, at International Contact Group on Guinea from 2009 to 2010, where he participated in all meetings and negotiations on Guinea transition from military to democratic rule, encouraged dialogue and sought compromise amongst political and civil society actors of the Guinean transition, as well as advised the Liberian Government which occupied the Chairmanship of the Sub-regional Mano River Union (MRU).
Following a lull in the Liberian Civil War, Wisner joined the Independent National Elections in 1996 and due to his efficiency rose from the rank of Filing Clerk in the Office of the Executive Director to Research Officer in 1999.
Wisner has lived almost his entire political life in the shadows of the Unity Party and the Liberia Action Party. His paternal uncle, Walter Y. Wisner was a founding member of the Unity Party in 1984 and a former Secretary General. This was the trail-blazer for what became a family tradition of identifying with UP. On the maternal side, almost the entire adult members of the family took up membership with LAP. While he has been a sympathizer of LAP at an early age, his political identity had been with UP.
Wisner has been married since December 18, 1999 to Lucy Smallwood and has three children, Forhnatee, Nmahdee, and Mekel.
CHANCES: Wisner is highly regarded and pulls a lot of weight within the party’s hierarchy. But some say he may not have the backing of former President Sirleaf who still wields a lot of influence now that she is back in the fold. Some executive fear, Wisner may not have solidified his support base and this is largely due to the fact he has not been very consistent about his desire to contest.