Mr. James Biney, the embattled chairman of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), has confirmed that the individuals who protested and disrupted Senator Prince Johnson's church service are members of the NPP. He has also issued apologies for the incident and asked the public not to judge the NPP based on the actions of a few "bad members" of the party, as there are more good people than bad people in the NPP.
In response to the chairman's statement, Vice President Taylor has issued a disclaimer, noting that Biney is no longer the chairman of the NPP. VP Taylor said, "He is no longer our chair. Please ignore it."
According to Chairman Biney, the group comprises people appointed by Madam Jewel Howard Taylor into positions she referred to as an expanded National Executive Committee (NEC), which is unsupported by the party's constitution and convention.
"One week ago, we announced that the NPP was divided. One group decided to follow the law, while the other decided to be lawless. It is important to note that the NPP partisans who disrupted Senator Johnson's church service are those from the lawless group presided over by Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia. The group comprises people appointed by Madam Jewel Howard Taylor into positions she referred to as an expanded National Executive Committee (NEC), which is unsupported by the party's constitution and convention."
According to Chairman Biney, in a statement issued on Wednesday, May 24, 2022, Peter Blidi, Joe Toby, and Roland Duo, who accompanied Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor to the Southeast during her recent trip to that part of the country, were the ringleaders of Sunday's protest. He further called on the Vice President and standard-bearer of the NPP to take control of her supporters, who he said are denigrating the name of the party in the name of supporting her.
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Sadly, the recent actions by Madam Jewel Howard Taylor's supporters have destroyed what we have worked for over the years in trying to rebrand the NPP. He also said that the NPP has gained the relevance it currently has because of the strides made by him and other loyal and lawful partisans both locally and internationally.
It should be recalled that on Sunday, May 21, 2023, a youth group under the banner of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth Council attacked the church while a normal Sunday worship service was taking place, creating pandemonium that prematurely forced worshippers out of the service.
The protesters, in their large numbers, wore the regular Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) berets and were heard chanting slogans for the establishment of a war and economic crime court. The continued chants led the Nimba County Senator to prematurely call off the service as he witnessed the church getting visibly empty due to fear.
Last week, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, who is also the President of the Liberian Senate, at an endorsement ceremony organized by a group under the banner of "majority staffers" of Capitol for President George Weah, labeled Senator Johnson as a "killer."
