Contrary to an endorsement statement read by the Chairman of the New Liberia Party (NLP), the Standard Bearer of the Party, Rev. Dr. Joshua Tom Turner, and Vice Standard Bearer, Dr. Q. Somah Paygai, have distanced the party from endorsing the candidacy of former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of the Unity Party (UP).
NLP Chairman, Richard Hoff, was among several other political institutions and individuals that endorsed the presidential bid of former VP Boakai on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at an elaborate occasion held at the UP campaign headquarters, otherwise known as the “Rescue Center”, in Sinkor.
During the endorsement ceremony, Chairman Hoff told the gathering of UP officials and partisans that his action was sanctioned by the party.
But contrary to Chairman Hoff’s statement, Standard Bearer Turner and Vice Standard Bearer Paygai, a few minutes later issued a strongly worded statement in which they divorced the party from the endorsement.
Rev. Dr. Turner and Paygai pointed out that Chairman Hoff’s decision was clandestinely done and, as such, it did not represent the view of the Executive Committee and the entire membership of the party.
According to the NLP top officials, after a series of consultations following final announcement of results of the October 10 presidential and legislative election, the party resolved to remain neutral in the ensuing November 14 presidential run-off.
Based on this, the NLP maintained that the action orchestrated by Hoff was surreptitiously done to satisfy his personal greed, in the face of gross disrespect for the political institution.
“New Liberia Party wishes to inform its partisans and Liberians in general that the party has made no decision to endorse any individual or party for the pending presidential run-off election. We reached a decision that says that everyone is at liberty to endorse any candidate or party of his/her choice, but not in the name of the party because we chose to remain neutral. This was a decision reached following our executive committee meetings. Therefore, any decision that follows contrary to that, particularly the one coming from Chairman Hoff and few minorities, is not sanctioned by our party,” said the statement, carved under the signatures of Standard Bearer Turner and Vice Standard Bearer, Dr. Q. Somah Paygai.
“Again, the public is informed and reminded that New Liberia Party has made no decision to endorse Mr. Joseph Nyuma Boakai of the Unity Party, as accentuated by our Chairman. The Chairman did so out of disrespect for the party and for self-aggrandizement and greed,” added the statement.
Meanwhile, the ensuing presidential run-off is necessitated by the failure of any of the 20 political parties to satisfy Article 83(b) of the Liberian Constitution, which requires a presidential candidate to win through an absolute majority.
Article 83(b) of the Liberian Constitution states, “All elections of public officers shall be determined by an absolute majority of the votes cast. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority in the first ballot, a second ballot shall be conducted on the second Tuesday following. The two candidates who received the greatest numbers of votes on the first ballot shall be designated to participate in the run-off election.”
But contrary to this Constitutional requirement, President Weah of the ruling CDC obtained CDC 804,087 or 43.83 percent of the votes, while main opposition leader Boakai of the UP got 796,961 votes, which constitute 43.44 percent of the total valid votes cast.