Opposition Liberty Party (LP) political leader Nyonblee Kangar-Lawrence and her loyalists have petitioned the international community to prevail on the Liberian government for National Elections Commission (NEC) chair Madam Davidetta Brown-Lansanah to step down.
The Grand Bassa County Senator alleges that Madam Brown-Lansanah does not have the pedigree of integrity to preside over the electoral house as Liberia heads to the 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
"[Given] the corrupt nature of the Chairperson of NEC, she should step down as head of NEC ... [to] restore confidence in the Commission," the opposition party said during a gathering over the weekend.
But speaking on state radio recently, US Ambassador Michael McCarthy slammed those accusing NEC Commissioners of being incompetent to desist from such, saying they have confidence in the commission. He said until there is an election in which their performance speaks otherwise, NEC accusers have no basis.
However, the LP claimed that Madam Brown-Lansanah's retention as NEC Chair will be a bad omen for free, fair, and credible 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
Madam Karnga-Lawrence and her embattled party chair Mr. Musa Bility are running two factions of the Liberty Party following a prolonged internal fight that ended at the Supreme Court.
She is reported to have accused the NEC of allegedly recognizing Bility's LP faction's collaboration with the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) of Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, and also undermining LP's stability.
Over the weekend, Madam Karnga-Lawrence and her LP faction held a major petitioning and peaceful gathering at several diplomatic missions in Monrovia, and the National Elections Commission in Sinkor.
The gathering was graced by hundreds of supporters and partisans of the LP dressed in green and white carrying placards in their hands.
They demanded the immediate resignation of Madam Brown-Lansanah as NEC chairperson.
Senator Kangar-Lawrence, and Montserrado County Senator and LP Chair for Political Affairs Abraham Darius Dillon, Mr. Jacob Smith, and Daniel Sando, among others, led the protesters.
The party presented a ten-count petition to the United States Embassy and later left for NEC's headquarters which was the center of attraction.
Officially reading the petition at the National Election Commission, Mr. Jacob Smith said they requested the international partners to exert all influence at their disposal on the NEC for it to log without delay the corrected version of the Liberty Party's Constitution.
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"This will, in effect, bring to a close the question of who does what in the party, as the Constitution is very clear on this matter," said Smith.
"That the Biometric Voter Registration Gadgetry should be procured by Liberia's international partner (UNDP) and the software remains in their care to ensure fair play for all," the petition added.
Finally, Smith said LP appeals to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations to send a Technical Electoral Team to assess the situation at the NEC concerning its preparedness for the conduct of the 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
For his part, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, after submission of the petition to the United States Embassy, said NEC's promise to address the plight of LP was a vague statement that will never be taken seriously.
He said the NEC's action was very useless, belated, and vague and speaks to the facts that the chairperson of the NEC is incompetent.
"The action of the NEC to say they will address these issues is belated. Their action in our view was pressured by what we are doing today," said Mr. Dillon.
He claimed that it was intended to water down the protest and the portioning the party did.
"We can't be fooled by that any longer. We believe that NEC is moved by pressure. We want our international partners to intervene in this matter because the peace and stability of this country should be the concern of all. [After all], this is a potential conflict," Dillon said.
