— Alarms over Blocking of Appointment As ECOWAS Resident Representative to Sierra Leone
IPNEWS: Former Liberian Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Dee Maxwell Kemayah has alarmed over what he terms witch-hunt by the government of President Joseph N. Boakai.
Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Dee Maxwell Kemayah, is quoted as saying the Unity Party (UP) government is preventing his appointment as the Resident Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Sierra Leone.
Ambassador Kemayah is a closed confidante of ex-President George Manneh Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
He was reported to be appointed by the President of the ECOWAS Commission Dr. Omar Touray to represent the regional body in neighboring Sierra Leone.
Figures are now been pointed at the Ministers of State for Presidential Affairs and Foreign Affairs Sylvester Grigsby and Sara Beysolow Nyanti including some acquiescence of the government in leading a ploy to object to his appointment.
Several sources within the International Community, the Liberian Executive Mansion and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have alluded to the ploy.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that former Foreign Minister Ambassador Marjon Kamara is opting for the same post. Ambassador Kamara previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the administration of ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Other sources revealed that Minister Grigsby personally instructed Liberia’s Ambassador to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Al-Hassan Conteh, to send to ECOWAS the official objection of the Government of Liberia to ECOWAS over the appointment of Ambassador Kemayah’s appointment as the Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Sierra Leone.
It remains unclear whether or not the government of Liberia has officially made the objection to ECOWAS through Ambassador Conteh.
However, unconfirmed reports suggest that the objection of indeed made but the ECOWAS Commission rejected the objection request on June 6,2024, on grounds that the position of Resident Representative of ECOWAS is absolutely not a statutory position set aside for Liberia and any other member countries in particular.
ECOWAS made it clear in its response that it is only the President of the ECOWAS Commission who has the mandate to appoint citizens from member states in the region to serve as Resident Representatives of ECOWAS based on competences and balance of representation of member states.
“This appointment of Ambassador Kemayah is within the absolute purview and authority of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, which is strictly in line with the decision of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in December 2014 which established the positions of ECOWAS Resident Representatives,” the source said.
“What’s very concerning to us is the position of the former Foreign Minister of Liberia Ambassador Kemayah is being appointed to is a non-statutory position and certainly not a position set aside for Liberia and any other member state of ECOWAS. The President of the ECOWAS Commission has the authority to appoint any qualified citizen of the ECOWAS community as is the case with Ambassador Kemayah.”
A copy of Ambassador Kemayah appointment letter dated March 16, 2024 to serve as ECOWAS Resident Representative to Sierra Leone is in the possession of the authoritative Independent Probe Newspaper.
Portion of the appointment letter highlights Ambassador Kemayah competences, skills, outstanding performance and the great deal of respect the regional bloc holds for him when he worked with ECOWAS and the Commission as Liberia’s Foreign Affairs Minister.
Diplomatic sources tell IPNEWS that with the ongoing controversy over the appointment the Ambassador Kemayah, Liberia would miss out on the opportunity to have one of its citizens serving as Ambassador or Resident Representative of ECOWAS if the President of the ECOWAS Commission rescinds his decision.
Other sources suggest hinted that the President of the ECOWAS Commission will not support or appoint any other Liberian in this capacity as evidenced by the outright rejection of Ambassador Marjon Kamara.
Ambassador Kamara has consistently opted and developed interest to serve as ECOWAS Resident Representative to Sierra Leone for unknown reasons. She is also a long-time closed associate of the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Sylvester Grigsby.
New information coming in states that even though the ECOWAS Commission has rejected the objection request from the Liberian government against the appointment of Ambassador Kemayah, both on the sidelines of the ECOWAS ordinary Session, and the just ended South Korea-Africa Summit held in South Korea in Abuja, Nigeria to encouraged President Boakai to meet with President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone to further object to the appointment
Closed sources further informed IPNEWS that President Boakai met President Bio in South Korea and registered his objection to Ambassador Kemayah’s appointment in Sierra Leone, however, Sierra Leone reportedly denied the request on grounds that Ambassador Kemayah’s position is absolutely not statutory and moreover that this is a process which was in progress long before the election of President Boakai. Investigation continues.
