As One-Day Extraordinary Elective Congress Kicks Off
Press Union of Liberia Interim Committee Press Release
(Monrovia – Liberia: 20 September 2024): The Press Union of Liberia will convene an extraordinary congress this Saturday, September 21, for the sole purpose of re-running the November 2022 disputed election.
Following an exhausting clean-up exercise of the membership roll, as mandated by the Resident Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, Bong County, 1,186 members from across the country are expected to cast their votes.
Six candidates are vying for four Union positions. Those qualified for the November 2022 elections are candidates Daniel Nyakonah and Julius Kanubah for the President and candidates Bettie K. Johnson Mbayo and Beatrice Sieh, for the Vice Presidency. Candidates Akoi M. Baysah, Jr. and Julius N. Kouton are both contesting the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General positions unopposed.
Saturday’s extraordinary congress will take place at the Effort Baptist Church School on Howard Avenue, adjacent the Paynesville City Hall.
The PUL has endured nearly two years of conflict, triggered by the bitter election dispute. A press release from the Interim Committee (IC), mandated to manage the election says while there may be moments of disagreement and misunderstanding; let all unionists remember the common ground that unites the PUL – a shared commitment to informing and enlightening our communities.
The Convener of the IC, Peter Quaqua is quoted as saying, “The Committee is aware of the full extent of the disagreement in the Union but calls on members to work together to redeem the organization.
“The scars of the disagreements run deep and the challenges are immense. But let us remember the pioneering role the Union has played in the democratic development of the country as we prepare to observe 60 years of the founding of the Union on September 30th,” Quaqua says.
“As an advocacy organization, the Union cannot afford to relegate itself to the back seat in an era increasingly marred by disinformation and misinformation,” the head of the PUL Interim Committee added.
Signed: Interim Committee