The Chairperson of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, will officially turn over the chairmanship of the collaboration to the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party (UP), Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, on Friday, October 15, 2021. The long-awaited and disputed turnover comes just a few days after Senator Karnga-Lawrence, as head of the CPP, found the Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander B. Cummings, guilty of altering the CPP Framework Document.
According to Section 9.3.3 of the CPP Framework Document, the collaboration “shall have a rotational chairmanship of eight months to be occupied by the highest ranking official of a constituent political party, provided a term of the chairperson shall not be repeated until each of the other political parties has served a term of eight months. However, in the case of incapacitation cased by death, illness, etc. of the succeeding chair, a chairperson may serve a continuous term by unanimous consent of the other constituent political parties…”
The Political Leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Benoni Urey, first headed the collaboration, followed by ANC’s Cummings. The Political Leader of the Liberty Party (LP), Senator Karnga-Lawrence, took over from Cummings and exhausted her eight months on October 1, 2021. While Boakai was expected to take over, he ordered that she continues her mandate for additional two months, but was contested by Cummings.
During that time, the CPP was entangled with a dispute that Cummings had altered portions of the framework document, and the logic behind Boakai asking that she continue her mandate was apparently to complete the Cummings investigation and make final determination in the matter.
Accordingly, Senator Karnga-Lawrence constituted a committee to investigate the matter, which the committee did but with findings being contested by Cummings and the ANC. The matter was then referred to the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the CPP, and the council advised that all parties remain silent until the lawyers can review the investigation findings, as well as the ANC’s descending view, and make final decision in the matter.
However, not abiding by the mandate of the NAC, on Thursday, October 8, 2021 Senator Karnga-Lawrence left Monrovia and held a press conference in Grand Bassa County, and without waiting for the lawyers to review the instruments made public the findings of her constituted committee and declared Cummings guilty of altering the framework document.
Political observers are saying that Boakai’s acceptance of the CPP Chairmanship at this time is heavily due to Senator Karnga-Lawrence completing the “dirty work” to incriminate Cummings, who is, up to now, the only contender against him for the CPP standard bearer position. They say it now appears like Boakai is the only Political Leader in the CPP who comes with “clean hands”, as Urey and Karnga-Lawrence have some ugly past to deal with.
The Chairperson of the ANC Legislative Caucus in Nimba County and member of CPP’s National Advisory Council, Representative Larry Younquoi, who was present in the NAC meeting, have expressed disappointment in the out-going Chairperson of the CPP because, according to him, the CPP has been wounded by lots of disjointed statements in the press and should do away with bringing the matter to the public until it can reach a logical conclusion. He confirmed that she did not have the mandate to render judgment on Cummings.