– Refuses to become running mate
By: Jerromie S. Walters
The political endeavor of the Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander B. Cummings, is experiencing a shocking nightmare as he gets crippled by the disappointing result he has gotten from Grand Senator Karnga Nyonblee Lawrence after she turned down his proposal to have her contest as his running mate.
Our source confirmed that the Grand Bassa County Senator made the disappointing revelation at Cummings’ request at a meeting held mid-Monday, May 8, 2023, something he had no option but to accept.
Over the weekend, Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence acknowledged reports about her interactions with different political parties for her support in the pending elections but maintained that as she proceeds with the different interactions, her decision will be guided by her principles and vision in the best interest of the country.
“As leaders, we are open to talking with everyone in public or privately, as we have always done.” “Under the prevailing circumstances, our decision will be guided by our principles and vision in the best interest of our country,” she narrated in a Facebook post.
There were reports that Senator Abraham Dillon, Senator Lawrence, and Chairman Musa H. Bility met with former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at her home to finalize Cummings.
It was reported that during the meeting, former President Sirleaf asked Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence to serve as running mate to Alexander B. Cummings, but Senator Lawrence asked to meet with members of her party to give them the outcome of their meeting before making a formal response to the former President’s request.
Some predicted that Senator Lawrence might have accepted to be Mr. Cummings’ running mate because of how she was played by Amb. Joseph N. Boakai and the Unity Party in favor of Nimba County Senator Jeremiah K. Koung, who was picked as JNB’s VP candidate ahead of the Bassa Senator.
However, we have established that Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence I has rejected the offer to contest as running mate to Mr. Cummings, as she was hugely pressured by her supporters to reject the offer.
Since the end of the Unity Party, they have proposed to make Senator Lawrence their campaign chairwoman and president pro tempore if they are elected.
Since being denied by Nyonblee, it was earlier reported that Cummings has been making efforts to have Clarence Moniba or Charlyn Brumskine as his running mate, but Moniba has since refuted the report.
“We have seen the total lies on social media about talks ongoing with Cummings or that we have agreed to be Cummings’ VP. Nothing could be further from the truth. No such discussions around a VP role for Cummings are either ongoing or even planned, he noted in a Facebook post.
According to him, his endeavor is concentrated on building a new Liberia. “We are working towards leading a new Liberia!”
How Nyonblee was disregarded by the UP
Since the genesis of their collaboration, Mr. Urey has been very clear about his having zero interest in becoming Mr. Boakai’s running mate, but he obviously needed someone who trusted the process from the onset.
Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence was one of those that many thought would have been picked by the ex-vice president, if not Mr. Cummings.
This expectation by the public also concurred with the Grand Bassa County senator’s political quest, as she was willing and ready to work with the VP if she was picked as his running mate.
Sadly, it didn’t go as many thought when Mr. Boakai, last weekend, named Nimba County Senator Jeremiah Koung as his running mate, even though the Senator’s character is steamed with a huge unorthodox mark that will chase him and even the UP administration if they are to win come October.
Following Mr. Boakai’s disclosure, some of his supporters justified his decision to the fullest and attributed his refusal to pick Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence to the current internal conflict the Liberty Party (LP) is battling.
On the other hand, some Liberians criticized the former VP for not being gender sensitive and for ignoring Nyonblee’s commitment to the UP since the establishment of the CPP.
LP Internal Wrangling
Following the death of the LP’s founding father and political leader-emeritus, Cllr. Charles W. Brumskine, Senator Karngar-Lawrence bowed to pressure from the party’s faithful to amend the party’s constitution, which they said gave more power to the political leader.
With a new constitution, a new convention was called, and Mr. Bility, backed by Senator Karngar-Lawrence and her colleague Senator Darius Dillon, was elected Chairman amid disenchantment from some partisans, including former LP Chairman Lofa County Senator Steve Zargo.
The camaraderie between the political leader and the new party chairman looked great. All seemed well. Senator Karngar-Lawrence, with her party behind her, meticulously chaired the once-united CPP.
But the good days were short-lived.
The political leader accused chairman Bility of not only breaching the party’s new constitution by submitting it to the National Elections Commission (NEC) without her signature and consent, but she also said the chairman and the party’s new secretary-general, Martin Kollah, altered the document by devolving some of the political leader’s responsibilities to the party’s national executive committee.
She complained to NEC, and following back-and-forth investigations by NEC and the court, Senator Lawrence and partisan Emmanuel Azango sought redress at the Supreme Court, asking the court to compel the hearing officer to ensure the alleged changes made by Bility and Kollah are included and the constitution is resubmitted with the signature and acquiescence of the party’s political leader.
However, in its April 12, 2023, ruling, the Supreme Court said the New Elections Law and the Constitution of the Liberty Party are silent on the proper officer who is to file the party’s amended constitution, meaning these laws do not specify a particular person to submit the document. The Court also added that since there was no appeal announced in the NEC’s Board of Commissioners’ final ruling, the decision of the NEC should stand.
Who’s in charge?
Mr. Bility’s continued victories at the NEC and now the Supreme Court continue to weaken the party’s political leader. It should be noted that in the midst of the legal battle, Chairman Bility, with the majority of the party’s national executive committee behind him, suspended the membership of the party’s political leader and other hierarchies, including Senator Dillon, for what the party said was their failure to pay their dues.
This ‘unexpected’ move further deepened the crisis. With the internal wrangling compounded with disagreements over the CPP status, the LP split into two headquarters: the Bility’s side aligned with the remnant of the CPP and supported Mr. Cummings, while the other faction led by the LP political leader is supporting ex-VP Boakai in his quest for president.
While the two sides have been claiming to be in charge, Mr. Bility is exerting more power over Senator Karngar-Lawrence, given that the NEC recognizes him as the chairman and the LP’s alignment with the CPP. At the Farmington Declaration, Mr. Cummings was duly recognized as Chair of the CPP and signed on behalf of the ANC and LP. Senators Lawrence and Dillon did not attend the ceremony either.
Nyonblee’s VP desire was consistent.
Despite the many setbacks, the LP political leader remained optimistic about being selected, according to sources close to her.
It is said that she was unhappy about the fact that she was among a shortlist of possible running mates for Boakai. She believed there should have been no alternative to her selection.
In January, she told journalists that she would not hesitate to accept an offer if the UP political leaders came calling.
“We are ready to serve our country, so if I am asked to be the running mate, I will accept.” “I am confident in what I have done in the Senate, what I have done in Grand Bassa, and how I have represented women well in and out of our country.”
Continuing, she said: Yes, we are confident because, over the last decade and a half, our party has positioned itself as an institution that was established to contribute significantly to the democratization of our country and to institutionalize the rule of law. Being so, we have continued to maintain a visible party structure, playing the role of loyal and constructive opposition even in the face of questionable electoral outcomes. This is why our respect will always stand tall for the founding father of the party, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, and the patriotic men and women who stood with him.”
As a vivid demonstration of his actions that have weakened those opposition figures that saw him as their godfather, Mr. Boakai’s son in Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, his buddy over the last three years in Mr. Urey, and his handbag and daughter in Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence didn’t attend his running mate announcement ceremony.
Unarguably, it clearly shows that the various political figures are not really excited about his recent decision, especially with an individual who was not even in the shadow of the struggle they started three years ago.
