“Biggest Mistake!!!” -Nyonblee Calls Out Bility’s Chairmanship -Vows Renewed Legal Battle After SC Final Ruling

MONROVIA – From all indications, the Liberty Party infighting which was finally settled by the nation’s highest court on April 12, 2023 has left the sourest taste in the mouth of the party’s estranged political leader, Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, much to the chagrin of political pundits who had hoped that by now, the party would have put its house in order to present a solidified opposition front that could challenge the ruling establishment at the October 10, 2023 polls. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case, with Senator Lawrence calling out as the biggest mistake the election of businessman Musa Hassan Bility as National Chairman of the Liberty Party (LP). Addressing a cross section of LP partisans, sympathizers, stalwarts and officials in Buchanan City over the weekend, Senator Karnga-Lawrence said she shares the blame for making businessman Musa Hassan Bility National Chairman of the country’s second largest political institution, a mistake that has now humbled her.

“Therefore, we are here to announce to our partisans, after several consultative meetings with all the relevant structures including the diaspora chapters, stakeholders and advisors; that we will not abandon the legal battle, and our next legal action will be announced on Tuesday. But we are ready to get up and get energized and position ourselves to collaborate with the political institution that will make the decisions that are in line with the values and beliefs that we continue to stand for and redeem this country,” Senator Lawrence declared.

Stating her discontent over the turn of events which led to the Supreme Court making its final determination that the LP Constitution submitted by LP National Chairman Musa Hassan Bility and Secretary General Martin S. Kollah was done properly because the two officials were duly elected and inducted at the January 2021 LP Special National Convention in Gbarnga as National Chairman and Secretary General, Senator Karnga-Lawrence bemoaned what she termed as the “biggest mistake” the party had ever made by bringing businessman Musa Hassan Bility on board as National Chairman of the country’s second largest opposition party, when all warning signals were flaring about his misdeeds.

“Distinguished partisans, we must note that when the Founding Father of our Party was alive and seeking the 2017 presidency of Liberia, Mr. Bility joined the Party in 2016 under his leadership. All that was said to us about Mr. Bility’s character and reputation left much to desire; yet he was welcomed into the Party by our Founding Father. He was elevated and was named “Chief Executive Officer” for the 2017 Presidential Campaign. He was later elevated to chair the National Advisory Committee of the Party at the 2018 Special Convention presided over by the Founding Father of the Party.

“My fellow Partisans, this is a party that opens its doors for any member to excel and be given the opportunity and necessary support to serve in the interest of the Party in particular, and the country in general.

“Today, we are here because that has not been the case with partisan Musa Bility. He has proven that all partisans do not come with the same motives. His election to the position as a Party Chairman is now considered one of the biggest mistakes that we ever made. We submit that indeed, a mistake that makes you humble is better than an achievement that makes you arrogant.

“We have been through so much unwarranted misunderstanding, confusion and chaos. We have had sleepless nights as a team strategizing, blaming one another at some point, and even shutting down for days to reflect.

“Our executives, partisans, well-wishers, supporters, family and friends have gone through so much political trauma and pain for a decision we thought would have been best for our institution.

“As the Leader of our beloved party, I stand here today, humbled, and sad and want to say sorry; sorry for putting you all through all this trauma, frustration and sleepless nights. I take all the responsibility!!!” an irate but humbled Senator Lawrence informed her audience.

Continuing, the LP Political Leader lamented the toll that the internal rift over power had sunk the party.

“To all the partisans especially women who have fasted and prayed since we started this case for a little over two years, and the entire women wing and their new leaders who took charge of the women and stood by us, and have used their own resources to follow us to the National Elections Commission, the courts, at press conferences, protests, etc. … under the sun and rain and sometimes walking because there was no transportation, I take the blame and say sorry. I appreciate you. I value your loyalty and commitment shown to me and love for our Party.

“I record two examples with the old ladies who went to the US embassy, and the lady who woke up to a previous announcement that was replayed on the radio to go for a March to the NEC, Prescilla’s example.

“To our Youth Wing who sat in meetings with big hands and were promised pickups and huge money to have a press conference against us and leave us but decided that integrity matters and their future would have been compromised, so they rejected those offers including monthly salaries when they have no means of survival and still running behind us with nothing, I appreciate and value you.

“To our youth wing again who stood against the division of the party and resisted the opening of another party headquarter causing division of our party in Grand Bassa County, and said to me, ‘this is off your hands, and we can no longer agree to calm down’. Some of them went to jail, I appreciate and value you.

“To our diaspora leadership and members, who have also had sleepless nights on zoom calls, organized programs to accommodate us and continue to raise money to help with every activity. To those of them who have said lately, we can’t take this anymore, when will this end? I appreciate and value you.

“To our Media team that has been defending everything we stand for and explaining to the partisans and the people of Liberia what has been unfolding including updates, sometimes we scream at them to keep talking and they have remained committed to that, I appreciate and value you.

“Out of fifteen County chairs, we have only six chairs who have refused the constant $5,000, or $2,5000 or $1,000 occasionally, including motorbikes and sleeping in expensive hotels just to sign resolutions that further depended on the divide and confusion in our party, I appreciate and value you.

“To our former Chairman (Sen. Steve Zargo of Lofa County), Executive Committee, Advisory Council Members, and inner teams who have stood by us in these difficult challenging years of our political journey, we have had meetings after meetings, we have had sleepless nights together, we have fought, we have blamed one another, we have refused very attractive offers to compromise, and in the end have said it was done in good faith and we need to look ahead, face the challenges together and pick up the pieces and fight! I appreciate and value you.

“You were told that we sold the party; you were told that we were selfish; you were told that we cannot be trusted; you were told that we have no integrity; you stood by us because our character outweighs all lies told about us. You have shown to the world that if no one knows us you know us. For this we have come to say THANK YOU.

“We all have fought the hardest, we all have stood together, we all have supported the process in many ways. We are not discouraged and we are not tired of fighting because we know that we are on the right side,” Senator Lawrence stated somehow lamely, while assuring her partisans of a renewed fight.

“We are here today to tell you that this fight is not only against us, but the entire Country, and it’s not just about Musa Bility and his team fighting us, but every other power against our national growth, Why? Because we lead the base that will influence the 2023 elections, we have a team and base that do not compromise, we have a team and base that have integrity, we have a team a base that will never take money against the future of our people, we have a team and base that mean well for Liberia.

“All these against people who will never think beyond themselves and have compromised the survival of this Country out of greed and only us with you behind us can stop that,” she said.

The estranged Liberty Party Political Leader who was recently expelled by the LP National Executive Committee ended up chronicling the events that led to the Wednesday April 12, 2023 SC final ruling, including what she termed as “the NEC intentional actions to ignore all reports and communication (Farmington report, communication to stop two illegal conventions, illegal expulsion, letter to disassociate the party from CPP, refusal to accept corrected version of the constitution after the associate Justice advised that we correct the 2021 constitution by the Farmington MOU and resubmit to the NEC”.

Explaining further, Senator Lawrence noted that the Liberty Party further organized a march to force the NEC to act, after which they presented their petition to all of the country’s international partners and ECOWAS. She highlighted that in light of the following events, the court failed to address their concerns, amidst the representation of the associate Justice who recused himself at the hearing and his signature to the ruling, this leading to the delay to present the judgment.

“We are here today because all of these facts are troubling news for our Country. When the NEC cannot act independently or without undue influence, and the courts cannot act on what’s before them out of fear that Justice will jeopardize selfish political aims and objectives of agents and their benefactors that they favor.

“All of these actions are a recipe for chaos and disturbances in a Country that needs to focus its attention on good governance and peace building mission.

“My fellow partisans and Liberians in Liberia and all over the world, we are very concerned about how to affect change in such a system for the redemption of this Country even more than how to find a logical conclusion to the Liberty Party matter.

“To do so, we cannot fall into the trap of the delay tactics that are intended to keep our focus away from the October 10 2023, general and presidential elections. We are grateful, honored and thankful that even in the midst of all these distractions we remain in control of the party base which is the second largest opposition constituency in Liberian politics.

“Therefore, we are here to announce to our partisans, after several consultative meetings with all the relevant structures including the diaspora chapters, stakeholders and advisors. That we will not abandon the legal battle, and our next legal action will be announced on Tuesday. But we are ready to get up and get energized and position ourselves to collaborate with the political institution that will make the decisions that are in line with the values and beliefs that we continue to stand for and redeem this Country.

“We remain the influencers in the 2023 general and presidential elections and in a few days, we will roll up our sleeves and use our political capital and all resources available to us to decide who the next president to rescue this Country becomes. The wellbeing of our people matters to us!” Senator Lawrence stated emphatically.