–Team Kanubah Campaign May Have Impacted Outcome
IPNEWS-Monrovia: The media report that the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) November 2022 Congress that is scheduled for Gbarnga in Bong County is experiencing massive low turnout as journalists and PUL members slow down their anticipated trooping into central Liberia.
The PUL Friday’s session of the Congress is among other things expected to focus on the financial and administrative reports of the leadership of the Union during the last three years. Congress is also expected to discuss the transformation of the National Media Council to an Independent Media Commission, proposed constitutional amendments, and adopt a resolution.
PUL president Charles Coffey addresses practically an empty Hall in Gbarnga, Photo courtesy: Isaac G. Redd
Meanwhile, the 2022 Congress Committee has expressed disappointment over the low turnout on Day-One and apologized to some guests who had to leave before the official opening.
According to media reports, a possible reason for the low turnout could be a brewing disenchantment on the part of Julius Kanubah, who is one of two leading contenders for the PUL presidency.
Kanubah, in a statement issued Thursday (November 15, 2022) afternoon, urged his supporters and PUL members at large to stay away from all congress and election activities organized by the outgoing PUL administration, led by Charles Coffey and Daniel Nyakonah, president and vice president, respectively.
Team Kanubah has complained about the PUL Voters’ Roll once again. Similar thing happened in 2019
Kabubah’s statement first claims that the decision to postpone the PUL Congress from November 10 and 11, to November 17 and 18, was done “unilaterally … using the publicly declared National Census Day (Friday) as an alibi. This postponement was done without our input as leading candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of our Union.”
Further, according to Kanubah, “The outgoing Coffey-Nyakonah leadership has failed to produce and publish any credible Membership Register of the PUL for 2022, despite occupying and serving the Union for nine (9) solid years.
“Their failure is similar to the ugly situation of 2019, which, based on a fraudulent Membership Register, led to a rigged electoral process even before the day of voting; thereby producing an illegitimate leadership,” Kanubah complained, an calling on his supporters to “stay clear of any and all activities surrounding the 2022 PUL Congress.”
“In the face of the repeated systematic violations of the Constitution of the PUL in relation to the convening of the 2022 Congress by the Coffey–Nyakonah leadership, we would like to again inform and urge all our supporters, members of the Press Union of Liberia, and those interested in the democratic development of the PUL and Liberia to stay put and stay clear of any and all activities surrounding the 2022 PUL Congress.
“Staying put and staying clear of the Congress means, please do not venture going to Gbarnga as yet, as doing so, would amount to condoning and crowning an illegitimate process, characterized by fraud and being orchestrated by what is revealing itself to be a network of fraudsters,” Kanubah said.
With this latest development, it is unclear what will the next step be regarding the pending PUL elections which is slated for Saturday, November 19, 2022.
Flashback: Team Octavin (left) withdrew from the 2019 PUL elections because incumbent PUL president and the leadership including (Daniel Nyakonah who was Secretary General and vying for the PUL Vice presidency) ignored a Bill of Information to the Court regarding a bloated Voters’ Roll. The same Voters’ Roll saga is again haunting the PUL in 2022
It can be recalled in 2019, a now former vice president of the PUL, Mr. Octavin Williams and his team of candidates vying to unseat the incumbent Charles Coffey, through their supporters filed a legal action to halt the PUL Congress until the final Voters’ Roll was vetted properly and cleaned.
A legal battle ensued between Team Octavin and Team Coffey, but the Coffey leadership at some point in time during the legal battle ignored a Bill of Information that was intended to provide additional information to the court.
With the intervention of some senior media colleagues who had called for Team Octavin to withdraw their injunction, Team Octavin chose to boycott the process because he said they could not participate in fraudulent election, moreover, the PUL as a pace-setter for democratic society was embroiled in fraud, and its leaders were adamant to confirm to transparency.
Book makers are watching from afar what is going to unfold in Gbarnga between today and tomorrow, where PUL members are expected to go to elections.
