As EFFL Holds Its National Convention Attended By Opposition Leaders Cumminigs, Urey, Others
PHOTO: Gonquoi flanked by opposition leaders Cummings (right) and Urey (far left) at the EFFL convention over the weekend
By Alfred Kollie,alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
The leader of the newly certificated political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL), Emmanuel Gonquoi has made what is seen as a brazen threat against the peace just over six months to presidential and legislative election, by refusing to rule out a violent struggle.
According to him, if the struggle to liberate Liberia requires violence and killing, then the EFFL is ready for violence and killings to redeem the country.
“I want to say thank you, to my people in Margibi, the convention is over, the time for us to roll our sleeves and get Nathaniel F. McGill out of the County. The last time, I packed my car and I saw a few of the pickups come and surrounded me and I laughed at them at RIA and said look at them, they pretend to understand violence but they did to know that I am the master of violence look, in the struggle if it requires that we will kill people, we will kill people for the survival of our country,” said the EFFL leader who refers to himself as “command in chief”.
The latest utterance by the EFFL leader comes amid a steady increase in political violence, with concerns being expressed both by Liberians and foreign diplomats that there could be a serious escalation is nothing is done to stop it.
EFFL supporters attending the convention
Mr. Gonquoi made the declaration at the weekend (March 31, 2023) at the EFFL national convention in the Paynesville suburb of Monrovia in the presence of the opposition CPP leader Alexander Cummings, Benoni Urey, leader of the opposition All Liberian Party and other opposition figures.
In just over six months, President George Manneh Weah is seeking a second term election bid, while all of the 73 Representatives seats are up for grabs along with half of the 30-member Senate seats. Liberia has enjoyed relative peace with democratically elected governments in place since the country.
“If the struggle requires us to shed blood, we will shed blood and if it requires violence, we will do violence. This country must never fall in the hand of George Weah,” Gonquoi noted.
According to Gonquoi, if CDC believed in violence, the EFFL is ready and prepared to show them real violence that will prevent the CDC from manipulating the elections process in October.
He maintained that President Weah is the greatest calamity and abortion that occurred in 2017 that must not be repeated by all Liberians.
The EFFL leader noted that the future of Liberia is in the hands of young people but urged them to rise and defeat the CDC in October at the polls.
Mr. Gonquoi encouraged executives of his party to dialogue with all political parties excluding the CDC for collaboration.
The rather EFFL leader however, warned officials or executives that there will be an immediate expulsion if individuals are cut negotiating with the CDC.
Alex Cummings urges youths to aspire for “real change”
In remarks, the Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress and the new CPP, Alexander B. Cummings challenged Liberians especially young people to do things differently and get positive results in moving Liberia forward.
According to Cummings, the time is now for young people like the Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia “to aspire for real change in transforming the country”.
Cummings at the same time encourages officials to elect supporters of EFFL to demonstrate different behavior, character, integrity, and ideas that will better Liberia’s growth and development.
He noted that Liberians and their young people cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results stressing the need for a positive attitude.
Urey says Liberia is bleeding
For his part, the Political leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Benoni W. Urey noted that Liberia is bleeding and a time for a positive change.
Urey wants the EFFL, which is predominantly young people, to think positively and nationality to bring total redemption to Liberia nothing that they are depending on them.
The ALP political leader however challenge EFFL and its supporters not to be selfish but urged them to keep on fighting until their hope and aspirations of seeing positive change in the country come to fulfillment.