LIBERIA – Chief Cyril Allen, the Chairman Emeritus of the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP) of now war crimes convict Charles Taylor, has termed as complete gangsterism, the violence, and disruptions of the party’s 7th biennial convention last week at the Paynesville City Hall.
Chief Allen told a local radio recently that the violence should not be condoned; stating that it’s so disgusting.”
In 1997, members of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), a brutal rebel faction in Liberia that was headed by its notorious leader Charles Taylor, formed the National Patriotic Party (NPP) following the end of the first civil war in Liberia. The purpose was to move from war to peace.
Taylor won the elections that followed but was forced out of office by a rival rebel group, the LURD Forces.
The NPP is now in coalition with the CDC party of former footballer George Weah and is now leading Liberia’s governance system.
But it has descended into chaos over the week during a national convention that produced two different leaderships.
In fact, one party official said one member of the convention dropped and allegedly died in wake of the fighting that took place during rival conventions at the Paynesville City hall.
The former wife of Charles Taylor, Jewel Howard-Taylor, is said to have caused the crisis by allegedly bribing conventioneers to twist the rules of the primaries. This has not been independently verified by Smart News Liberia.
The primaries were being held ahead of the 2023 general and presidential elections in Liberia.
Chief Cyril Allen, a veteran of the party, confirmed that Liberia’s Vice President Jewel H. Taylor allegedly paid County chairmen $600 United States Dollars each to pick her as the party’s standard bearer.
Chief Allen alleged the money was intended to have all county chairs sign a resolution to keep her in power.
The Liberian Vice President is expected to be on the ballot as a running mate to President George M. Weah, but the NPP primary ended with the death of one member due to violence.
However, rival conventioneers elected their own set of leaders for the same party in the courtyard of the Paynesville City Hall.
It is not clear, which of these groups will be recognized by the National Elections Commission of Liberia.
This is why some members of the former rebels are saddened by the crisis; as the party was formed to eschew the crisis.
In the meantime, the Spokesperson of VP Howard-Taylor has denied the NPP Standard Bearer started the violence.
