Monrovia — The recently elected chairman of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Cllr. Stanley S. Kparkillen, says he will "surrender his authority" as chairman of the party to James Biney whom he believes wants to grab power despite losing the chairmanship position at the October 7, 2022 Biennial convention.
Cllr. Kparkillen, in a press statement, insists that he won over two-thirds majority of the 638 delegates from the 73 electoral districts who gathered in fulfillment of the patriotic duty to the party.
Kparkillen lamented that after the election and upon their induction into office, the delegates in their numbers departed the convention ground and assembled at the party's headquarters in a jubilant and exciting mood for the change of leadership.
However, the former chairman, James Biney, not being satisfied with the "popular decision of vast majority of the delegates" at the convention, conducted an election to retain himself as chairman after delegates had all left the convention ground, thus reigniting the leadership crisis that had persisted for over three years prior to the 7th biennial convention under his watchful eyes.
Cllr. Kparkillen, for the sake of peace and to ensure a united NPP under one leadership, he yielded the call of the Coalition Standard Bearer George Manneh Weah for the parties to return to status Quo Ante to give chance to a mediation effort that would ensure that leadership is amicably resolved.
Regrettably, according to him, former chairman Biney failed and refused to pay heed to the President's call during the mediation efforts thus leaving this leadership with no alternative but to uphold the decision of October 7 and has since notified the coalition through its chairman, Mulbah K. Morlu through a communication dated December 1, 2022 backed by a position statement to the effect, copies of which are available.
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"Fellow partisans and members of the press as a lawyer and politician let me make this crystal clear that I am not prepared to surrender any inch of my authority as National Chairman of this great party after being mandated by overwhelming majority of legitimate delegates who took part in the just ended convention as evidence by their signatures and cell numbers on a resolution voting me as National Chairman," he stated.
Cllr. Kparkillen continued: "Let me also make this emphatically clear that while the NPP is a part of the Coalition and is unquestionably giving its full support for the reelection bid of President George Manneh Weah come 2023 Presidential and General Election, the NPP is an independent political party accountable to its partisans and the National Elections Commission as such it must be allowed to govern itself consistent with law. Therefore, it will not be in the best interest of the coalition for the leadership of the coalition to recognize former chairman James Biney and ignored the leadership elected by the popular will of the partisans across the country."
