PHOTO: LPDP political leader former House Speaker, Alex Tyler (Left)
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The ruling Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC) of Liberian President George Weah seems fragile, as power sharing rift deepens with NPP and LPDP clarifying reports against a full grown
The National Party (NPP) of Senator James Baney and Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) of Alex Tyler clarified at a joint press conference that as of yet, there is no binding instrument signed among the 3 political parties making up the Coalition of Democratic Change. Congress of Democratic Change(CDC), National Patriotic Party(NPP) and the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) entered coalition that enabled Ambassador George M. Weah and Madam Jewel Howard Taylor to win the 2017 Elections as President and Vice President of Liberia.
The Chairman of the NPP, Senator James Bannie and LPDP’s Alex Tyler said at the press conference that the three parties making up the Coalition of Democratic Change reaffirmed, which is an expression of intent, not a legal framework, to work together for the October 2023 Elections.
According to the NPP and LPDP, the reaffirmation document will set the basis for the three political parties, at their respective national conventions, scrutinize the proposal of sustaining a coalition. This means the anticipation of a full-grown agreement among the three parties remains fluid.
LPDP and NPP revealed at the press conference that their individual party’s resolution to define their roles and participation in the coalition, if there should be any, will require the signatures of at least two-third of their party’s national executive committees in line with their constitutions and the guidelines and regulations of the National Elections Commission regarding the formation of alliances, coalitions and mergers of political parties.
The joint press statement containing their clarification was signed by NPP Secretary General-Andrew Peters and LPDP’s Secretary General, Eric Kpayea, approved by NPP Chair James Biney and Chief Moses Kollie, National Chairman of LPDP.
Five years in power, the coalition is franked by power inequity within itself, reported massive corruption and personal wealth-gain at the expense of others, as aggrieved parties of the coalition claimed
Meanwhile, some LPDP youth leaders and constituent coordinators are calling for the withdrawal of the signatures of their respective political parties on the statement reaffirming collaboration with the Congress for Democracy of President George Weah. They claimed the CDC government has over time deprived the two other parties, NPP and LPDP, from public jobs in government.
Though NPP has the vice presidency which its standard bearer, Jewel Howard Taylor occupies, other officials remain dissatisfied on job distribution, accusing the Congress for Democratic Change for “singlehandedly running the affairs of the coalition and country”. NPP itself experiences internal conflict that influenced a near attack of its Chairman James Biney at the birthday celebration of jailed NPP’s Godfather Charles Taylor. The party’s internal rift saw a supreme court’s opinion recently.
The Congress for Democratic Change itself is experiencing some of the nastiest public condemnations from some of its stalwarts who have gone disgruntled. Some of Weah own buddies are brutal in words against his regime.
Mr. George Solo, a former chairman of the party, Dr. Lester Tenny, who resigned top job from National Oil Company among others since began public demeaning conversations against Weah and his closest oficials, three of whom suffer US sanctions.