The National Civil Society Union of Liberia (NACSUL) says its attention has been drawn to denigrating statements attributed to the President’s Communication Advisor, Gabriel Nyenkan, alleging that the Vice President, Jewel Howard-Taylor, was elected during the 2017 presidential and general elections on the popularity of President George Manneh Weah.
The former Montserrado County representative also noted that the former governing National Patriotic Party (NPP) has no stake in the body politics of Liberia; as such, the Vice President should stop loitering and claiming that she contributed to the mobilization and election of the CDC-led government, headed by President Weah.
NACSUL, in a press statement issued on Thursday, April 15, 2021, and signed by its Chairman, Amos Kanneh, said the allegation by Nyenkan has a political undertone, as Nyenkan works directly in the office of the President.
The civil society group noted that such statement coming from the President’s Communication Advisor should not be given credence by the public, as the former Montserrado lawmaker who was massively defeated by Representative Richard Koon for his self-centered and bad governance against the people of District #11 cannot be taken seriously.
NACSUL said former Representative Nyenkan is a man surrounded with too many controversies, citing that he was controversially appointed by the President as head of LEITI Secretariat without any competitive process, and that he has no moral to question the ability of Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor.
The civil society group challenged the office of the President, Dr. George Manneh Weah, to, with immediate effect, disassociate itself from such divisive statement against the office of the VP Taylor, as the Vice President is an integral part of the government under the tripartite arrangement, which include the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) and the National Patriotic Party (NPP).
The National Civil Society Union of Liberia (NACSUL) said research conducted by the institution indicates that Vice President Taylor is a highly experienced, well-educated and competent stateswoman, who was elected twice to the Liberian Senate by the people of Bong County to represent that part of Liberia.
The group said during her stay at the Liberian Senate, Taylor worked assiduously to enact laws that reflected the interest of the country and its people, as she was always ranked high among her colleagues in terms of lawmaking, representation and oversight.
NACSUL also noted that it was disingenuous on the part of the President’s Communications Advisor to embark on a fruitless venture to derail the character of the Vice President at his own expense, as he is only being accommodated by the President as Communications Advisor—a portfolio with no major function at the Executive Mansion in the presence of the Presidential Press Secretary and the Deputy Presidential Press Secretary.
“For the record, the Congress for Democratic Change contested the 2005 and 2011 Presidential Elections single-handedly and did not win any of the election until 2017 when it collaborated with other political parties, the National Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) in the second round of the election before gaining state power in the Republic. It is recorded in history that the National Patriotic Party is the only most organized political Party that went to the 1997 general and presidential election and won the election in the first round,” NACSUL observed.
The civil society movement called on Vice President Howard-Taylor “not to be distracted by the comments from a failed politician like Gabriel Nyenkan, who got nothing to offer the Liberian society”, but admonished her to remain steadfast in providing leadership for the Liberian Senate as its President.