The Independent Civil Society Union of Liberia (ICSUL) has condemned a leaked audio believed to reveal a plan to prevent the opposition Unity Party (UP) from fielding candidate in the pending Lofa County senatorial by-election and eventually stopping former VP Joseph Nyuma Boakai from contesting the 2023 elections.
The audio leaked last weekend and has been causing serious public concern across the political spectrum.
The civil society union said the recording is troubling and must be duly investigated and appropriate action taken to preserve the peace and stability of Liberia.
The CSO group said it believes that the audio validates the view that the ruling establishment is not interested in reconciliation, and that President Weah’s publicly expressed commitment to reconcile the country is not grounded on honesty and sincerity, and that it gives credence to the perception that the ruling establishment is afraid of former VP Boakai and the Unity Party.
The group added that the recording shows that the CDC and President Weah do not believe that Liberians are convinced that they are governing the country well, and so they do not believe in their own chances of winning a free and fair election against the opposition, particularly the UP, “because he who believes in his capacity, ability and chances will not worry much about who the opponent is”.
The leaked audio, according to ICSUL, also validates claims that the ruling establishment is either influencing or is seeking to influence or control the conducts and or decisions of the Elections Commission and other judicial and quasi judicial institutions ahead of 2023, while at the same time actualizing and confirming the suspicion that Musa Bility is not really an opposition figure, but a ruling party supporter on a project to destroy the opposition to give President Weah an advantage in the 2023 polls.
ACSUL, an umbrella group for four civil society organizations, noted that the audio shows that Musa Hassan Bility and others are not reading the political history of this country, because even to contemplate the slightest idea of wanting or seeking to prevent a major opposition political party or figure from contesting a hugely anticipated election that is a crucial decider of the country’s political future, is scaring.
“It is also an indication that there’s hardly any secret around the presidency currently, if very highly placed confidants of the President are heard in a leaked audio of such sensitive nature,” ICSUL maintained.
The group added that plotting ahead of election also undermines or harms one’s victory if he or she were to win, because it would have prepared people’s minds to reject and resist an announced victory.
The CSO coalition described the audio as an eye opener for the people to know who is really an opposition and who is posing as an opposition.
The audio, the group emphasized, must also claim the attention of the international community and all of Liberia’s partners in the peace, stability and democracy.