Monrovia — The Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), through its National Executive Committee (NEC) has expelled three senior executives from the party including Nimba County District # 4 Representative Gonpu Kargon and the Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Wilfred Bangura for allegedly violating several provisions of its constitution.
Minister Bangura was the National Vice Chairman for Governmental Affairs of the party. Both men were expelled along with Melvin L. Yealu, former Secretary General.
Nimba County Senators Jeremiah Koung and Prince Y. Johnson, who is affectionately known as PYJ in Liberia, are the Standard Bearer and Chairman of the Governing Council respectively of the MDR.
In a statement issued in Monrovia on Tuesday, May 16, the party claimed that the trio was expelled for violating Article 14 (a) of the MDR Constitution.
Article 14 (a) of the MDR Constitution states that: "No registered member of this party shall owe loyalty to another party or cause another member to pledge allegiance to another party. If any member of this party is found in supporting any party in any form or cause another partisan to pledge support to another party shall constitute a violation and punishable as may be required by law".
It recalled that the party, through its Chairman Counselor Cooper Kruah sometimes ago appointed a Board of Inquiry to hear allegations of constitutional Violations by Representative Kargon, Bangura, and Yealu.
In January this year, Senator Johnson announced to the world, through the Voice of America that he has terminated an agreement he signed to support President Weah due to the failure of the Liberian leader and his government to benefit the citizens of Nimba County since he ascended to the presidency.
Senator Johnson further disclosed that he is holding talks with other opposition political parties for a collaboration-a move that secured the running mate position of his party's Standard Bearer with the opposition Unity Party (UP).
"What we expected in the past is not what we see on the ground, we had believed that being the World Best, European Best, African Best, all the best, with his election, he would have attracted investors to Liberia to create jobs and alleviate the suffering on our people through their investments, but since his election, the world has abandoned us in the sense that no investors are coming. And what we are doing in the country is just ratifying loan agreements and you cannot build the country based on loans," Sen. Johnson said at the time.
Sen. Johnson claimed that a delegation from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) comprising the former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel McGill, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dee-Maxwell Kemayah, Maritime Commissioner, Lenn Eugene Nagbe, and the Minister of Finance, Samuel Tweah, paid him a visit to request him to reconsider his decision but, according to him, he turned them down.
Bangura upset
The decision taken by Senator Johnson to withdraw his support from President Weah did not go down well with Minister Bangura and a few others.
Minister Bangura took issues with Senators Johnson and Koung for unilaterally nullifying the party's support to President George Manneh Weah in the ensuing general and presidential elections in Liberia.
He justified that the MDR was never founded to "nurse" the selfish interest of anyone or group of people, adding that, the party was established to represent the interest of the Liberian people.
He pointed out that the two executives (Senators Johnson and Koung) have been "showboating" of ending ties with the CDC, without holding any consultation with members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
However, the MDR, in its latest statement issued quoted Minister Bangura as saying in a January 24, 2023 edition of the FrontPage Africa newspaper: "I stand with the president to ensure his re-election as president of Liberia and I will do everything legally, morally and politically possible to ensure that president Weah is re-elected with a decisive mandate."
Kargon canvassing for Weah?
The party stated that the investigation conducted has established that Representative Kargon is "canvassing the people of District # 4, Nimba County in support of the CDC candidate presidential bid against the interest of MDR in the ensuing election."
It recalled that at a meeting Representative Kargon convened with the Chairman of the MDR Governing Council Senator Johnson and some elders on May 13, he (Kargon) also assured of his support to the CDC presidential candidate against the interest of MDR.
"The Board of Inquiry accorded each of the accused partisan due process of law as required by MDR Constitution. The investigation established that Article 14 (a) of the MDR constitution was violated by partisans Wilfred Bangura, Vice Chairman for Inter-Governmental Affair of MDR; Partisan Melvin Yealu, Secretary General MDR and Hon. Gonpu Kargon, Representative, District #4, Nimba County."
Yealu's trouble
The party maintained that the investigation conducted by its Board of Inquiry also gathered evidence of Partisan Melvin Yealue's support of President Weah's re-election bid.
In fact, the party added, that Yealu is the current Secretary General for the "so call NIMBA FOR WEAH MOVEMENT which is against the interest of MDR in the ensuing elections."
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It noted that both Minister Bangura and Yealu were also seen wearing CDC paraphernalia on February 4, 2023, as supporters of the President who gathered to endorse his re-election bid.
"Additionally, Partisans Banguara, Yealu and Kargon's actions violated the following articles of MDR Constitution as well. Article 12 (e ) Unauthorized commitment of the party to any deal; Article 12 a and b. Misrepresentation of the party Image."
It maintained that Article 12 of its constitution calls for elected officers of MDR involved violating these provisions to be expelled and as such, the three senior executives are no longer part of the party.
"On this note, the Inquiry Committee recommended that the membership of Partisans Wilfred Bangura, National Vice Chairman for Government Affairs, Melvin Yealu, National Secretary General and Hon. Gonpu Kargon be expelled from MDR. Now therefore, the national executive committee of MDR unanimously voted in favour of the expulsion of Partisan Bangura, partisan Yealu and Partisan Kargon as members of MDR."
The MDR, however, warned the public against doing business with the expelled executives in the name of the party.
The expelled executives are expected to respond to the party's decision later today, May 17.
Sources have hinted that the decision to expel them would be challenged at the level of the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the court.
