Monrovia — The political leader of the All Liberian Party, Benoni Urey, who stood firmly with opposition Unity Party's Joseph Boakai during the turmoil of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is now going to be one of the lead campaigners for the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the November 14 run-off election.
Urey, along with his daughter Telia and political commentator Henry Costa on Sunday led the party to endorsement ceremony at the ALP Headquarters in Monrovia.
Disclosing his support for re-election of Pres. Weah, Urey said, "Mr. President, the All Liberian Party has vested significant authority in me. Today, I have been granted the privilege to inform you, Mr. President, that the All Liberian Party endorses your bid for a second term. We want to assure you that today's endorsement is not just an ordinary one; it is an endorsement from our hearts."
Urey also characterized the ALP's endorsement of the CDC as a commitment to the CDC, promising to ensure that President Weah secures a victory in the election and serves a second term.
"We will go to great lengths and traverse the breadth of this country to ensure your re-election into office. We do not want to repeat the political mistakes of the past. I have made political mistakes, and Liberia has made political mistakes. We will not make the same mistakes again. We are not going to make deals with the devil," Urey emphasized.
Urey reflected on his history with the CDC and stated, "Mr. President, I want you to know that the ALP and the CDC are not far from each other. The CDC, under George Manneh Weah, and we were among the founding members of the CDC. We worked with the CDC, we fought with the CDC, and we were persecuted for the CDC. They even burned down our radio station during former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's regime. Today, I am delighted to announce that I am supporting my younger brother."
The ALP's political leader also disclosed that President Weah has come a long way outside of politics, and as such, the ALP's endorsement of the CDC feels like coming back home.
In his usual rhetorical style, Urey remarked, "Some people believe they are entitled to lead this country, but that's not true. What matters is the will of the majority of the people in this country. Liberia belongs to Liberians."
In response to the endorsement, President George Weah, the leader of the CDC, expressed that the unity of the two parties, ALP and CDC, was a result of individuals coming together due to their mutual respect and love for the nation.
President Weah expressed his satisfaction in reconciling with Urey, highlighting their previous lack of communication due to past disputes.
"I am delighted to see Benoni Urey and the All Liberian Party coming together. We are happy to reunite to build our country," President Weah stated.
Who's the Devil?
Urey had been a staunch ally of Amb. Joseph Boakai until Boakai picked Senator Jeremiah Koung of Prince Johnson's Movement for Democratic Change (MDR) as his running mate.
Boakai's choice for running mate did not go down well with the Ureys and Costa as well as other figures that supported him.
FrontPageAfrica gathered back in April that after announcing his decision to the rest of the team, Boakai was invited to Urey's home in Careysburg, where he joined Costa and other members of both the UP and the ALP teams to reconsider the announcement of Sen. Koung as the vice standard bearer. But being bent on his decision which he sees as his surest way to win the election, Boakai stuck with his decision.
Sources familiar with the discussion informed FrontPageAfrica that Urey, who exhibited signs of disappointment, questioned Boakai about whether he was prepared to "dance with the devil" by dealing with Senators Prince Johnson and Edwin Snowe. Some say that these two senators are the excess baggage that comes with selecting Koung as they will exert their influence on him through Koung.
To their dismay, according to the source, the UP standard bearer told them "If dancing with the devil" would make him win the elections, he was prepared to do so.
Mr. Boakai was quoted as saying "Even the devil has a role to play. I don't like Prince Johnson but I have to work with him to win."
Why Then Urey-JNB Collapsed the CPP?
Urey to the running-mate feud, Urey had always expressed that the Amb. Boakai was most suited to lead Liberia as President. This has led him to vehemently criticize anyone that went against Boakai, even within the Collaborating Political Parties which was formed among his ALP, Liberty Party, Unity Party and the Alternative National Congress (ANC) headed by Alexander Cummings, with the intent of pulling resources together for the sole purpose of unseating Pres. Weah.
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However, just before the CPP could go for convention to elect a standard bearer, Urey accused Cummings of tampering with the CPP's Framework Document to his advantage, an allegation Cummings constantly denied.
Subsequently, the Weah administration through Cllr. Syrennius Cephas as Solicitor General at the time dragged Cummings to court for forgery. Top executives of the Unity Party, ALP and Amb. Boakai testified on behalf of the government against Cummings.
The case was later dropped by the government.
Prior to the dropping of the case, Cummings hired the services of Cherie Blair CBE QC to lead an independent and internationally-staffed forensic investigation into the document tampering allegations made by the All Liberian Party ("ALP"). The investigation found no traces of tampering and described the allegation as merely political.
