Liberia: Senator Nyonblee’s Boakai Endorsement backfires

Just three days following the endorsement of the Presidential bid of former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai by the embattled political leader of the Liberty Party (LP), Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, that decision by the LP’s head has been hugely challenged by an auxiliary group of the party.

The group, under the banner: “Staunch Members of Liberty Party”, Grand
Bassa Chapter, through its Chairman, Emmanuel Suprise Whea, asserted that that Senator Karnga-Lawrence acted without consultation and approval in the midst of internal conflict within the party, which does not augur well for the party.

It can be recalled that Senator Karnga-Lawrence at the weekend in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, endorsed the candidacy of former Vice President Boakai on grounds that she rejected Mr. Benedict B. Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) because joining him would have been falling into a political trap.

Karngar-Lawrence’s fraction of the LP has been embroiled in a series of legal and political issues with Chairman Musa Bility’s fraction, which had on the other side of the coin, has been in support of Mr. Cummings.

The Grand Bassa County Senator indicated that it would have been a deviation and a betrayal of the trust and confidence of partisans to go as running mate to Mr. Cummings in light of his unending support to Bility, whom she said, desire is to render LP politically paralyzed and divided.

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Bility is recalcitrant that he does not recognize the authority of the political leadership of the Liberty Party, something that the ANC, through its actions and inactions, supported and concretized all along, thereby rendering his belated attempt to change course to have limited effect,” she said

But despite those reasons provided by Senator Karnga-Lawrence, the group maintained that her “unilateral decision” was self-seeking, evil, disrespectful and insensitive to the survivability of the Party, which has strived for many years and being denied better opportunities by ruling establishments.

“Furthermore, we believe strongly that the Senator’s action is only intended to create more confusion within the Party and deepen the already existing internal problems within the Party, when in fact, she is one of those charged with the responsibility to resolve these conflicts, in keeping with Reconciliation which is one of the 4Rs/ pillows of the Party,” asserted Mr. Whea at a news conference in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County on May 17, 2023.

“Fellow Liberians, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen, it is an established fact that for over a decade, the Liberty Party, under the able
Leadership of Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine (the late), has been one of
Liberia’s most organized, peaceful and an institution of integrity established on the Foundation of Reconciliation, Reconstruction, Reform and Rebuilding
(4Rs). Today, it’s so unfortunate that we, the members of Liberty Party, are watching the continuous retrogression of our Party due to the lack of leadership capabilities of Madam Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence evident by the continuous destruction of the Party under her leadership.

“Finally, we want to again state categorically clear to you fellow Liberians that the recent Sorrowful Endorsement of Joseph Nyuma Boakai by Nyonblee
Karnga Lawrence only reflects the decision of Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, her friends and family members and not the Liberty Party. We’re therefore calling on the Senator to desist from such endeavors and focus on resolving the ongoing internal conflict within the Party,” he furthered.

Among other things, Mr. Whea added that the Staunch Members of the Liberty Party, Grand Bassa Chapter, have begun consultation with partisans across Grand Bassa County, on which direction or aspirant to support in the upcoming Presidential and Legislative Elections.