UP THREATENS TOUGHER ACTIONS, IF…  

By: Jerromie S. Walters

Snapper Hill, Broad Street: As investigation continues in the trial involving the CPP and the Unity Party, and All Liberian Party, the Unity Party has threatened stiff opposition and sustained legal action, following attempt to have them denied of participating in the upcoming by election in Lofa county, or elections ahead.

Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, UP Chairman Amin Modad drastically signal government’s attention, stressing that they will no longer tolerate the repeat of unothrodox political practice, which they believe was exhibited in the Brownie Samukai case in Lofa County.

“The Unity Party represents the aspirations and political will of hundreds of thousands of Liberians; being denied the opportunity & right again to represent the people of lofa will be met with stiff political opposition and sustained legal actions,” Chairman Modad alluded.

However, the Unity Party Chairman characterized the Party recent trial with the LP and ANC, as a politically strategize attempt, to ensure their absent from the byelection in Lofa and subsequent elections, especially 2023.

“What we see is a very clear and scandalous attempt to target and eliminate the Unity Party and its Standard Bearer, Amb. Joseph N. Boakai, from the 2023 general and presidential elections. Even after we have stated very clearly in a sworn statement that the Framework Document submitted to the National Elections Commission was not the same Framework Document signed by the Unity Party on May 19, 2020, yet the Elections Commission would incautiously  want to hold us by a clause in a controversial document that we are not a signatory to, knowing fully well that fraud vitiates everything,” He said.

In a communication dated March 24. 2022, both the Alternative National Congress and the Musa Bility fraction of the Liberty Party wrote the National elections Commission seeking clarity in regards to report about the withdrawal of the Unity Party and the All Liberian Party (ALP) from the CPP, which neither of them (ANC and LP) were served a formal communication about.

The ANC and Bility-fraction of the LP however reminded the NEC of Section 8.5 (2) of the CPP framework document which prescribes the process by which a constituent party may withdraw its membership from the collaboration.

Section 8.5 (2) of the CPP framework document provides 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”.

Recommending Section 8.5 (2) of the CPP framework document as a fundamental tool for the jurisdiction, the ANC and LP urged the National Elections Commission to reject any application from the ALP and UP to put up candidate (s) in their names in any election until the expiry of the 2023 elections, including up to a period of six months in line with the collaboration agreement.

Counter reacting to the CPP’s complaint, the Unity Party (UP) provided that NEC does not have jurisdiction to hear the CPP complaint, arguing that an agreement between political parties, and any violation thereof, is not cognizable before NEC because NEC only has jurisdiction over elections cases not political party cases.

Additionally, the UP argued that the matter of the Framework Document is the subject of an ongoing litigation and therefore the NEC cannot provide advisory opinion or status to any party.

Sadly, both motions were denied by the Commission, and the UP Chairman considered the NEC judgement to have their motions ruled out as “massively baffling”, especially when he believes they are the two paramount reasons for which the CPP complaint was filed.

The Unity Party has further argued that they can not be bound by the Framework Document filed with NEC, because they did not sign it and find its authenticity questionable; 

The Party however referenced the significance of Article 17 of the Constitution of Liberia, which gives the right to associate or refuse to associate in political parties, trade unions or other organizations is a fundamental right that cannot be enjoined.”

On the other hand, Chairman Modad maintained that the Party exhausted all three requirements which includes; the submission of an indemnity bond valued at US100,000.00, submission of the party’s bank statement so that the elections commission would be able to verify if the party meets the required bank balance of US$10,000 minimum or its equivalent in Liberian Dollars, and to invite the NEC to inspect the party’s headquarters, in order to complete its withdrawal from the CPP.

Political tragedies in the biggest opposition block (CPP) appears as a regular play over the last six months, which has today led to a broken opposition that many believed would have been the best and favorable alternative.

The unprecedented acts of power greed, supremacy, and unnecessary disagreements have undoubtedly been the masterminding force behind the sudden breakaway of constituents parties of the opposition only reliable option for victorious and satisfactory results come 2023.

The disarranged Collaborating Political Parties used to be a conglomeration of the Unity Party (UP), the Alternative National Congress (ANC), the Liberty Party (LP), and the All Librarian Party (ALP).

As things have fallen apart, the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is currently made of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and the Musa Bility fraction of the Liberty Party (LP).

Howbeit, the UP has however assured its partisans, its full readiness and relentless legal standing to have their candidates In both the Lofa bi-election and the 2023 Presidential Elections under its banner, regardless of what they termed as a “grand conspiracy” to have them excluded from the various processes

The CPP versus Unity Party and the All Liberian Party case is expected to continue at the Headquarters of the National Elections Commission on Wednesday, April 13. 2022.