MONROVIA – The much-trumpeted resolution of the People’s Unification Party (PUP) pledging support to the re-election bid of President George Weah violates the party’s constitution, and as such, it is null and void, said Representative Samuel Kogar, Chairman of the PUP.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
On April 19, the PUP of former House Speaker James Emmanuel Nuquay announced it was supporting the re-election bid of President Weah owing to the ‘numerous development programs his administration has undertaken.
In the announcement, the PUP, through partisan Morris Barbay announced the party will only support the President, but not joining the President’s party- Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). The decision raised eyebrow as some of the party’s top officials including its national chairman, Rep. Kogar, were absent and did not affix their signatures.
Six days following the controversial decision, the PUP national chairman called on the party to return to status quo ante as the decision was made in “bad faith.”
“Hence, as National Chairman whose authority is based on the Constitution of the PUP and in the interest of restoring constitutional sanctity, the meeting of April 19, 2023 and its accompanying resolution are hereby deemed null and void and the conveners are asked to return to status quo ante, in the interest of the party,” said Chairman Kogar.
“In view of the foregoing, the Coalition of Democratic Change is being informed thru this statement to decline in accepting the purported Resolution as it is a bad faith dealing and its acquisition amounts to fraud.”
In the statement, Rep. Kogar, who represents Nimba Electoral District Five at the House of Representative and a long-time friend of PUP political leader, Nuquay stated that on the eve of the decision, he communicated with the Chairman of the party’s Governing Council, Tokpah Mulbah that the meeting for which a memorandum was circulated in their chatroom, didn’t meet the requirement set forth in the Constitution and cautioned the conveners to call off the meeting until the procedures were followed.
Without mentioning the conveners, Rep. Kogar said they, apparently at behest of the Governing Council, went ahead with the meeting and adopted a resolution; a move he said, violates Section 7.2 of the party’s constitution.
He said owing to the ongoing saga, he is convinced that the “framers of the PUP constitution anticipated a situation of this nature and to cure all future defects, they instituted the necessary safeguards that the party should be governed by laws and not by the will of men, regardless of how powerful and wealthy they may seem. And this is why the current unfolding in the party shouldn’t be about who has more power than the other but it is about adherence to constitutional order.”
“Only Black Market operatives can be happy over such an agreement and not an institution grounded on the rule of law,” he said.
Writing further, he noted that the form and manner in which the decision was made can be compared to Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Doctrine preached by legal standards and that extends to exclusionary rule to make evidence inadmissible if said evidence was illegally obtained.
However, Rep. Kogar clarified that as national chairman, he and the Executive Committee Members that did not sign the resolution has no ill-will towards President George M. Weah and his Government or his party, but called for the right things to be done to reflect the collective will of all.
He warned that the he and the other officials that did not sign up to the resolution will be left with no option but to file a complaint to the National Elections Commission (NEC) as a mean of seeking redress if their other colleagues failed to return the party to status quo ante.
“We are aware of our rights under the Elections Law and the necessary institutional and legal frameworks are being mobilized including a complaint to the National Elections Commission to reverse the action of April 19, 2023 if these early warning are not adhered to.
Pay-for-play in play?
With six months to Liberia’s crucial elections, President Weah and his ruling CDC are leaving no stone unturned in galvanizing support to fend off what observers say will be a stiff challenge by the opposition to get re-elected.
Already a group of opposition parties including the People Liberation Party (PLP) of the late Dr. Daniel Cassell has declared their support to the ruling CDC. But like Rep. Kogar, some members distanced themselves from their party’s decision saying their action was not the general decision of the party, whose founding father was a fiercest citric of the Weah-led government.
This latest episode comes as the Government is being accused by the opposition of engaging in a pay-for-play scheme to get the support of a huge number of opposition parties to weaken its main contenders in the October polls.
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