MONROVIA – Mr. Mo Ali Secretary-General of the Unity Party has told hearing officers of the National Elections Commission (NEC) that there was no withdrawal clause in the Framework Document of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) signed by the Unity Party.
He testified on Saturday.
According to Mr. Ali who took the witness to testify on behalf of his political party, when the UP signed the Framework Document that brought the four collaborating parties together, there was no clause in it for withdrawal.
“The May 19 document had no such withdrawal clause, therefore, after several requests for the document from the ANC who was then the constituent Party chairing the CPP, they (ANC) submitted a photocopy of the document and as a result of the investigation we filed a resolution that the document we signed up to was not the same as the document filed to the NEC.”
According to Mr. Ali, the All Liberian Party (ALP) after receiving the document, filed a complaint and the UP agreed with the ALP that’s why the UP agreed with the ALP and participated in the investigation and agreed with the investigative report.
“To the best of the knowledge of UP we were operating under the Framework document of May 19, 2020. The Framework Document before you is not the same filed with the NEC as per the findings of the report and copies of the Framework Document was never severed to constituent parties of the CPP by the chairing ANC,” Mr. Ali said.
Both the ANC and the LP argue that “Section 8.5 (2) of the CPP framework document states that: Constituent Party desiring to withdraw from the CPP shall first exhaust the dispute resolution mechanism stipulated in the framework document. If the Constituent Party which has satisfied the dispute resolution mechanism is not satisfied with the outcome, it shall file a resolution to withdraw from the CPP signed and duly executed by two-thirds (2/3) of the membership of the National Executive Committee, it is being understood, however, that a party withdrawing from the alliance prior to the next presidential, legislative and local elections shall not field candidates in its name”.
“As such, we hereby inform the Commission that we are invoking Section 8.5 (2) CPP framework document and requesting that the commission reject and deny any application from the ALP and UP to field candidates in their names in any election until the expiry of the 2023 elections, including up to six (6) months thereafter, same being the agreed contractual life of the CPP”.