PHOTO: Incumbent Vice Pres. Daniel Nyankoh
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Despite the controversy surrounding the conduct of the fifth edition of the Press Union of Liberia elective Congress in Bong County, the Union’s Vice President Daniel Nyakonah has been elected President.
Bettie Johnson Mbayo was elected Vice President followed by Akoi Baysha Jr. secretary general and Julius Konton as assistant secretary, respectively at an election held over the weekend in Gbarnga, Bong County, following a petition for the writ of injunction filed by the rival team of Julius Kanubah for the process to be halted.
Despite the court injunction that was placed on the process which was later lifted, journalists manage to go through the process peacefully. Journalist Kanubah and his team have been calling for the voters roll to be cleaned before the conduct of balloting.
Official polling started at 8:40 PM and lasted for eight hours deep in the early hours of the following day, Sunday, November 20, 2022, allowing all parties to participate in the process.
The PUL elective congress, which started Thursday, November 17, 2022, climaxed on Sunday morning with the elections of the new leadership that will run the affairs of the institution for the next three years.
On the eve of the election, Presidential Candidate Julius Kanubah and his team filed a writ of injunction to halt the entire electoral process.
Team Julius, in their writ of injunction, raised issues of irregularities with voters’ roll and or fraud which they believed characterized the process.
Among other things, they called on the 9th Judicial Circuit Court to halt the elections and ensure an interim leadership to look into their issues.
But Team Julius had further warned his supporters from participating in the 2022 elective congress and staying home, even though some of his supporters participated in the elections while others were seen around.
Lawyers representing the PUL in hours did file their pleadings and an insurance bond of US$40K to allow the elections to go on.
At the close of the evening on elections day, the Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit signed and ordered the process to continue.
Mr. Nyakonah got 333 votes, while his opponent Julius Kanubah got 15 votes for the presidency. On the other hand, Bettie Johnson Mbayo accumulated 311 votes while her contender got 21 votes. A total of 346 persons participated in the process with 2 invalid votes. The PUL is said to have a membership of over 1,400.
Announcing the results to members of the Journalism in Gbarnga Bong County, the Chairperson of the Elections Commission, Madam Ade Wede Kerkulah indicated that the process was legitimate and credible based on the presence of several civil society actors on elections including the NEC and candidates’ representatives.
Meanwhile, Team Daniel and Bettie, in their congratulatory statement, thanked all members of the PUL for abiding by the law and partaking in a process sanctioned by the Law.
But making his operational and financial report from January 2020 to September 30, 2022, in Gbanga Bong County, PUL President Charles Coffey names training, decentralization of its activities, truancy, accountability and media law reforms, among other things as key successes of his administration.