“Dillon Begged Ellen to Mediate in LP Crisis” -Bility says Sen. Dillon Lied on EJS; Opens Pandora Box on Lawmaker

By The Analyst News On Jun 19, 2023 353 0

MONROVIA: Hot on the heels of Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon’s Saturday, June 17, 2023 appearance on Spoon TV Live where he said former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf called him to use his leverage in convincing Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence to go as running mate to Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) standard bearer Alexander B. Cummings after being shunned by former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to go as his running mate, CPP National Chairman Musa Hassan Bility is infuriated over Senator Dillon’s claims, to the extent that he has labeled the sharp-tongued senator as a wicked human being, and a diabolical liar who is ignorant and arrogant. Bility further claimed that it was Dillon who insisted that Ellen served as a mediator or guarantor as the only way he could agree to a deal brokered by Chairman Bility to end the perennial Liberty Party crisis.

“Maybe Dillon set up the meeting with Ellen so that he can use it the way he’s using it. But Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia did not call a mediatory meeting. Darius Dillon requested her to intervene and mediate between the Liberty Party,” Bility said when he appeared last Sunday evening on SKY TV, an online television talk show based in the United States of America.

Admitting that the meeting which Senator Dillon talked about, did indeed take place, Bility however clarified that it was Dillon who insisted for Ellen to serve as guarantor in order for him to agree to the terms and conditions of any arrangement that would resolve the Liberty Party crisis.

“But let me tell you what happened before that meeting. What is making me respond to this is that it is Dillon that pulled Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf into that meeting.

“I want to go back because it is important to go back before I come to discuss what Dillon said about Ellen. While the Liberty Party case was at the Supreme Court, the case was called, and so, the parties went to court. I got to court late, but when I got there, Cllr. Charylne Brumskine was there, Dillon was there, our Vice Chair for Political Affairs was there, our Vice Chair for Administration and all of our people were there. Nyongblee was there and Dillon was there. And I sat by Dillon while waiting for the justices to come. And I said: ‘Dillon, why are we allowing the court to force us into settling? Why can’t we talk so that whatever the court decides, we would have already passed over that hurdle?’ Then Dillon said, ‘I think so’. Then I said, ‘if you think so, why don’t we do it’. Then he said, ‘anyway, let’s hear what the court says, when we go outside, you and I will talk’. I said, ‘Dillon, I beg you; this is not ok’. By that time the Chief Justice announced that one of the justices, Justice Wolokollie could not be present that morning, and she would like to sit on that case; therefore, we have to postpone and the court will inform us about the next date.

“So, our case was not heard that day, and we walked out. When we walked down, I went to Dillon and reminded him about what he had told me. Dillon said, ‘get in my car let’s go talk’. I got in Darius Dillon’s car. We drove from the Temple of Justice to the Capitol Building. When we reached the Capitol Building, I told him to put his driver down, that I wasn’t going into his office, that I wanted us to talk in his car, so that when we are through, he could carry me back to the Temple of Justice because my folks were waiting for me,” Bility said as he narrated the happenings that led to the so-called meeting with former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

According to Bility, at the grounds of the Capitol Building, Dillon told him that he was prepared for them to resolve the Liberty Party crisis, saying, “My man, we need to solve the problem”.

Bility said he then asked Dillon what did he want for them to do, to this Darius Dillon is said to have remarked that because these Unity Party people are arrogant and ungrateful, so I wanted to mess with them. It was clear to Dillon that Ambassador Boakai was not going to pick Nyonblee. If he wanted us to take a decision and announce it before they announce their decision; and that would break them.

“So, he asked if I was able to make Alex Cummings choose Nyonblee as running mate. I said to Dillon that he was behind time; that around November 2022, Ambassador Lewis Brown, Jacob Smith, Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence and I met at Lewis Brown’s house to reconcile the Liberty Party. At that meeting, I said to Nyonblee that the reason I had refused to come with her is because the Liberty Party is too big an institution for her to drag behind her to go to the Unity Party without any agreement. There is nothing that says that Joseph Boakai will pick Nyonblee. He has not made a commitment to the party, but if Joseph Boakai picks Nyonblee, if Joseph Boakai commits to choosing her as his running mate, we will surrender the Liberty Party to Nyonblee and that will be the end of the conflict.

“Then Lewis Brown said, ‘Musa, are you also in the position to ask Alex Cummings if he is amenable to carrying Nyonblee as his running mate, so that while Nyonblee goes to ask Boakai whether he’s prepared to make this commitment, you go Cummings to ask him whether he’s prepared to take Nyonblee. I said that’s fine. Then he asked, in that case that the two of them (Boakai and Cummings) say yes to Nyonblee, then what next? Then I said to Ambassador Brown we will go the Unity Party way, because that’s the place Nyonblee wants to be. In that meeting, I told Nyonblee that it was about her as Political Leader and me as Chairman agreeing. But bringing other people on board the discussion will not help. I told her that Dillon is a spoiler. I said if Dillon had not come between us, we would not have had any conflict because there is no conflict in our desires. That was the end of the meeting.

“Nyonblee was feeling good that day. She left with a good feeling. I remember the next day was a national holiday and Nyonblee sent me a holiday greeting for the first time in a very long time.

“When they left, Lewis Brown sat me down and said, Musa, do you know what you are doing? I said yes, I am tired. If this will bring the party together, then fine; even if it causes me to resign from the party; because to support different candidates you must resign from the party. It is illegal. But I cannot commit the party to Joseph Boakai when he has not committed to the party. So, I told Lewis Brown to take me to Alex Cummings. Lewis said he would take me, so I called Alex that I needed to see him but I am coming with Lewis. We set up the appointment and went to Alex’s house.

“At his house, I said to Alex, I think I have an opportunity to solve the Liberty Party problem. I need your help. I am very loyal to you, and will remain loyal to you because I believe that you mean well for the country.

“This time, I want to solve the Liberty Party problem. Can you commit to carrying Nyonblee as your running mate, and that will end the Liberty Party crisis? We told him that we had asked Nyonblee to ask Boakai if he can do the same thing; that in case Boakai says yes, Nyonblee will be going with Boakai and Liberty Party will be going with Nyonblee.

“Alex said, ‘Yes. The Liberty Party has stood with me. If there is anything that I can do to let the party stay together, I will do it absolutely’. That was the end of the meeting. So, we set a date for the second meeting. This was the meeting where Nyonblee was to come to tell us what was the outcome of her meeting with Joseph Boakai, so I will tell her what was the outcome of my meeting with Alex Cummings.

“The second meeting was in Nyonblee’s house on the Old Road. Nobody knew about this; I never informed anybody. I made a personal effort to bring peace to the Liberty Party. Lewis Brown and I went to Nyonblee’s house. We sat, she brought water and we drank. Jacob Smith was there. I told her that I met Mr. Cummings and he said we should be assured that if that’s what he has to do to put all of us together, he will do it.

“And then Nyonblee said, ‘I thought about it; this thing is not about me alone. What I discuss, Dillon has to be there, and other people have to be there’. I was astonished. At least I made the effort, but it’s clear to me that Nyonblee doesn’t want peace in the party.

“So, to bring us back to my meeting with my meeting with Dillon in his car, I explained all of this backdrop to Dillon and told him that this is the long road I have been through to bring the party back together. At that moment Dillon looked at me and said, ‘Musa, let’s do this. Let’s do it now’.

“Few weeks later, Chairman Ben Sanvee arrived. I said, Ben, let’s go and talk. Of course, after Ben arrived, Joseph Boakai had already made his decision. Dillon and his people were despondent. I briefed Ben on everything, and Ben asked what we could do. I said to him, ‘let’s call Dillon’. This is 8:30 in the night; again, another personal attempt. We called Dillon and he said he is home, if we want to see him, we should come to his home in Bardnersville. We entered and went to the small building on the side. Dillon was drinking and smoking, frustrated. That night we told Dillon, let’s do this. But Dillon said, ‘I don’t’ trust the situation, what is Ellen’s position?’.

I was shocked, so I asked him why he was talking about Ellen’s position. Dillon said he needed a guarantor, so that when we broker a peace between us, he wants Ellen involved. Darius Dillon is the one who insisted for Ellen to be involved. Dillon is wicked.

“But I said ok, if this is what Dillon wants we will do it. When I contacted her, I can recall Ellen saying if this has anything to do with politics, she didn’t want her name to be involved, but if it is to settle between all of us, she would oblige. Dillon was called, and he called me to confirm that he was called. He went to the meeting. I attended that meeting, and yes, Alex Cummings attended the meeting. But here is the difference between Darius Dillon and myself.

“When you sit with a former President of the country and you come on national television, not only to disclose what happened, but you lied on her, it is bad. I am sure at the appropriate time, the former president will respond to Dillon, but I will not come and say to the public what was disclosed in the meeting that was called which Dillon requested for. Dillon was not called by Ellen. It was Dillon who asked for Ellen to intervene. Benjamin Sanvee is my witness that Dillon wanted Ellen to be the guarantor if we wanted to make peace amongst ourselves.

Unity Party cautioned

“I want to tell the folks from the Unity Party. You are friends with Dillon today. Dillon was very, very friendly with Benoni Urey. Dillon was very, very friendly with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Dillon was extremely close to George Weah. I remember when George Weah graduated from college, Dillon was one of those around Weah celebrating his graduation. Today, Dillon sits in the public to discuss them. Just lying on people. It is dangerous. I have made a promise to myself that Dillon and I will not sit on the same political table. He is a liar, he is arrogant in his lying, he is deceitful and self-serving.

“When you have limitations academically; when your knowledge is absent; then your only focus becomes yourself. Dillon’s position as senator is the only security he has. Just take Dillon from the senate position, he is not qualified for any job. He cannot use his CV to do anything with it.

“I want the Unity Party to remember that Dillon came to me for us to mess with Joseph Boakai. Everything Unity Party is doing with Dillon, they should know that he has a dark side which he has not shown to them. But one thing that is important is that when I walk in a room and see Ambassador Boakai I will walk to him and shake his hands, and he will shake my hand. Because beyond politics, I will never hurt him or his person, or betray his confidence. I have had a very close relationship with Joseph Boakai. Nothing, no amount of politics will make me disclose the extent and nature of my relationship with him. But that’s not Dillon. Because when your brain is empty, what you have you hold on to.