Lingering Possibility Of Rival Parties Returning To Court Lingering
PHOTO: Cllr. Stanley Kparklin, the rival NPP Chairman of the Jewel Taylor’s faction
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The future of National Patriotic Party (NPP) current Standard Bearer looks uncertain given the growing internal rift in her party, with the embattled Chairman, Senator James Biney saying that the party’s constitution does not allow a third term, with less than ten months to presidential election.
Mrs. Taylor is Vice President in the ruling three-party Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in which the former ruling NPP of jailed ex-president Charles Taylor.
Over the weekend, the internal wrangling in the NPP deepened as the Jewel Howard-Taylor’s faction of the NPP rejected the declaration of the position of the standard bearer vacant by the James Biney’s faction.
Last week, Senator Biney declared the positions legislative seats and the standard bearer of the party vacant.
Based on this background, he instructed the secretariat to solicit application from qualified members of the party to apply to fill the position of the standard bearer.
Senator Biney also instructed the secretariat to solicit applications from party’s members who will want contest on the party’s ticket as representative and senatorial candidates in the presidential and legislative seats later this year
But, addressing a press conference in Congo Town over the weekend, the National Chairman of the Jewel Howard-Taylor’s faction of the NPP, Cllr. Stanley Kparklin described the action by his faction to declare the NPP standard bearer position as a joke and illegal.
Counselor Kparklin maintained that by the court mandating Senator Biney to take the NPP to convention does not give him the right stage manage the for his re-election as national chairman
His duty, according to the counselor, was to declare the national convention opened and step aside in order to allow those elected to steer the convention to continue.
The counselor claimed that Vice President Taylor was laterally prevented from entering the convention center by Senator Biney’s ‘surrogates ‘
He said if Senator Biney feels he wants to claim legitimacy, he should go to the court or the National Elections Commission to seek redress in order to determine who is legitimate.
Counselor Kparklin argued that there is no provision in the NPP constitution that forbids the standard bearer from a third term.
According to him, his leadership is the legitimate representation of the NPP because they received a mandate from the majority block of the controversial convention that was conducted
He explained that Senator Biney only control two out of the 15 counties’ chairmen and less 310 of the delegates that forms national convention because the standard bearer has the backing of over 500 delegates and 13 counties’ chairmen.
The counselor reaffirmed the commitment of the Taylor’s faction to the Weah-Taylor ticket in the elections scheduled for later this year.
Counselor Kprklin blamed unnamed individuals of wanting to format the crisis in the NPP in efforts to take over the standard bearer in the event Senator Biney succeeds ousting Vice President Taylor.
Earlier, following the pronouncement by Senator Biney, President George Weah, in his capacity as the Chairman of the governing council of the Coalition for Democratic Change, recommended at the end of the meeting with both parties , that they re-run the national convention .
President Weah re-affirmed his commitment to contest this election with Madam Taylor as his running mate and does not want trouble ragging in the NPP.
According to sources, Senator Biney, for his part, decided to consult his lawyers on the proposal by President Weah for them to re-run the national convention.