“Team Modad” Describes Changing UP Leadership Now As “Disaster”; Maintains Joe Boakai, Mo Ali, Others For UP Convention

Cllr. Jeror Cole Bangalu, Chairman of Team Modad, one of the tendencies in the upcoming Unity Party convention in Gbarnba, Bong County, has named ex-Vice President, Joseph N. Boakai, Amin Modad, Mo Ali, Representative Ben Fofana, Whroway Bryant and Cornelia Kruah-Togba among candidates who will contest the party’s primaries on their bloc, defending leadership continuity over change.

   In a press statement issued Tuesday, July 19, 2022, Chairman Bangalu said, “With barely 15 months to go to the presidential and legislative elections, the Unity Party cannot afford to make the mistake of changing an experienced and over-achieving leadership with one that does not understand the political inner-workings of the UP and that of Liberia. It will be a disaster to put in place any leadership, with the short period of time to the holding of elections, to steer the affairs of the party.

    “In light of the above, we’ve come today to present to the people of Liberia, the Unity Party and, in particular, the voting delegates to the up-coming Gbarnga Convention, a team of experienced, committed, loyal and innovative partisans to contest for various leadership positions at the convention.”

   He disclosed that “Team Modad” will feed the following aspirants: Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Standard Bearer; Amin Modad, National Chairman; Dabah Mabande Varpilah, Senior National Vice Chair/Vice Chair for Administration; Representative Ben A. Fofana, National Vice Chair for Governmental Affairs and International Relations; Cornelia Kruah-Togba, National Vice Chair for Inter-Party Relations and National Election Commission Affairs; Whroway Bryant, National Vice Chair for Membership, Mobilization & Recruitment; Mohammed Ali, National Secretary General; Christian Cooper, National Deputy Secretary for Administration; James Yolei, National Deputy Secretary General for Research and Training; and Edmund ForhForh, National Treasurer.

    “For the Women Congress,” he said, “Selena Polson Mappy will spearhead the team and will subsequently announce all other aspirants of her team. You can rest assure that Team Modad is in full support of the aspirants that will be submitted by Partisan Mappy. For the National Youth Congress, our team is headed by Togar Melvin Cephas, who is contesting as National Vice Chair for Youth Affairs, Kuta Gbakolay for Secretary General, Emmanuel Kunneh Wreh Farr for Deputy Secretary for Administration, and Jartu Worrell for Treasurer. All other aspirants for the Youth Congress will be named subsequently by T. Melvin Cephas.”

   Speaking to the hearts and heads of Unity Party partisans, Chairman Bangalu said, “When Amin Modad was elected on September 8, 2020, to complete the unexpired term of former Chairman Wilmot J.M. Paye, he and his leadership inherited a Unity Party that had enormous challenges. During this period, many partisans, including members of the National Executive Committee, almost lost hope about the resurrection of the Unity Party. The party was confronted with the midterm special senatorial elections, challenges related to its national headquarters in Congo Town, restructuring of county leaderships, including the revamping and acquisition of headquarters in the 15 counties.

   “Over this period, the leadership of Chairman Amin Modad successfully negotiated and secured a new national headquarters centrally located on Broad Street. It costs the party more than US$50,000 to fully renovate the new headquarters. It was through the leadership ability of Chairman Modad and members of this leadership that we secured funding through personal donations from partisans and supporters home and abroad to renovate the headquarters, that is now described as one of the best headquarters any political party can boast of in Liberia. In addition to the national headquarters, the leadership under the auspices of Chairman Amin Modad, ably assisted by Madam Dabah Mabande Varpilah, has been able to secure headquarters in Grand Cape Mount County, Sinoe County, Grand Gedeh County, Maryland County and River Gee. Through his interpersonal relationship and rapprochement with partisans in the diaspora, particularly USA and Canada, the leadership was able to mobilize resources to completely renovate the Unity Party’s headquarters in Lofa County, and has done 98% renovation work on the headquarters in Grand Bassa County. The leadership has also been able, through the personal contribution of Chairman Amin Modad, to secure a parcel of land in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, for the construction of the Unity Party’s headquarters in that county. In the coming months and years, we pledge to mobilize resources and secure funding for the construction of headquarters in those counties where we don’t already have headquarters of our own.

   “The leadership has also, considering the difficulty of movement within the counties by party leaders, acquired motorbikes for Nimba, Bomi, Lofa, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe and Grand Bassa Counties. In the not-too-distant future, the leadership under the auspices of Amin Modad will mobilize and secure funding to purchase additional motorbikes for the other counties. These tangible achievements, over the short period of time under the leadership of Amin Modad as National Chairman of the Unity Party, are unprecedented. On the soft side, we have been able to restructure some county leaderships and have also reduced the gap between the mainstream leadership of the counties, the district leadership and cascading downward.

   “Additionally, the leadership has put into place administrative measures that have made the operations of the Unity Party more institutional than an organization loosely run by individuals.

  “Unlike in the past, when the Unity Party had no apparent and entrenched relationship with its legislators, our leadership has been able to cultivate a cordial working relationship with each and every member of the UP Legislative Caucus, and this has cumulated into regular coordinated activities between the leadership of the party, the party itself and members of the Legislative Caucus. More to that, our lawmakers are now fully involved into all the activities of the Unity Party. This is evident by the fact that members of the UP Legislative Caucus spearheaded the organization of the program for the opening and dedication of the new headquarters and also organized the march that led partisans to various diplomatic missions to present a petition statement relating to the attempt to ban the Unity Party from participating in elections.  

  “While we are highlighting all of the above achievements of the current leadership of the Unity Party, one in particular stands tall above the others. Fellow partisans, as you may all recall, there was an egregious attempt by unscrupulous elements within our political corridors to effectively dismember the Unity Party through their efforts to stop us from participating in elections. We all know and understand that the main purpose for which political parties are established is to take state power through free, fair and transparent elections. Had they succeeded in this malicious and dubious attempt, we would not have been discussing a Gbarnga convention today. This leadership stood firm and resolute along with the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party, Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai, and assembled some of the best team of lawyers Liberia can boast of. These lawyers, led by former Chief Justice, Her Honor Gloria Musu Scott, and Cllr. Johnny Momoh with all of the support from this leadership won a decisive victory at the Supreme Court of Liberia. This victory birthed a sigh of relief to all partisans of our noble party, and we were able to field a candidate in the just-ended Lofa County senatorial bi-election.”