MONROVIA: Amidst widespread speculations making the rounds that telecommunications tycoon Benoni Urey and his All Liberian Party (ALP) political institution might shortly align with President George Manneh Weah’s ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and support the incumbent’s second term bid as a quid pro quo reaction to the alleged slight from Unity Party Standard Bearer Joseph Nyuma Boakai who is said to have refused choosing talk show host Henry Pedro Costa as his running mate, Ms. Telia Urey has issued a blistering statement which many believe confirms the rumors of a possible alliance with the ruling party.
According to Ms. Urey who remarked yesterday Thursday in a caustic social media post, she is prepared to support any side that she believes is best for Liberia, and that no amount of fear from any group of people will intimidate her.
“In the October elections, I will support whoever I believe is best for Liberia. I fear nobody and will not be intimidated by any group of people either. This false narrative that ‘if someone doesn’t support UP, they are going against the country’ is toxic, divisive, and outright ridiculous. I advise my friends to develop a more strategic campaign plan and message if they are serious about winning this election. Parties and leaders earn trust and support, they don’t demand and feel entitled to it. We are too advanced in our thinking to subscribe to this.
“Nobody’s mistakes or bad choices will be my bondage. I will support a team that my conscience tells me is best for Liberia in the short and medium term. Not a team or train that has lost its direction. Period.
“You all can insult, whine, or cry under my post. I will not be shaken or deterred from speaking the truth. This election is too important to us. Wake up Liberians!” Ms. Urey cautioned.
The statement from Ms. Urey comes against the backdrop of recent comments made by her father Benoni Urey where he outlined a litany of reasons why the ALP was cutting ties with the Unity Party.
“We no longer support the Unity Party. The reason is because of how they treated us. Almost four of our candidates took them away from us. And the fact that they’re from the same tribe and the same county, they took them away from us. They used tribal pressure to force these people to leave our party. People we worked with for six years were bad enough to go and try to destroy us as a party. But we will let them know during this election that we are a force to reckon with.
“We spent our time, our energy, our resources on you for six years; and one or two legislative seats you fight us, you take it away; you take away our candidates that we have nurtured and made strong over the years. I want the world to know that we’re not stupid, and will never be used that way again.
“You know, there is a common saying, on Christmas eve, you will know how Christmas will be. God is a wonderful God. He showed us these people now. If we had gone through these elections and would have won, they would have treated us like dogs.
“Then they’re all over Facebook propagating all kinds of lies. The last one was that we were at the Boulevard Hotel meeting with government officials. Man like Benoni Urey in Liberia, will sit at the Boulevard Hotel and people will bring little money to him? When I can go to George Weah any hour and tell them to go tell him I am there, and he will come. If I call him and tell him, Mr. President, come see me, I want to come, he will come. That’s my younger brother. Do I have to go to the Boulevard Hotel? If you decide to go back to Unity Party, you can go. But anywhere else the party decides we’re going, we’re going there with force,” Mr. Urey had vented at the time.
Public Reactions
The statement from Ms. Urey has elicited a flurry of reactions from a cross section of the political spectrum.
Musa Hassah Bility, National Chairman of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), has never hidden his dislike over Mr. Urey joined forces with the Unity Party to accuse and file a forgery lawsuit against CPP Standard Bearer Alexander Cummings. But in a complete 360-degree U-turn, Bility has now pledged his support for Ms. Telia Urey’s position, admitting his admiration for her courage.
“Telia Urey, we’ve had our differences, mostly in your defense of the very folks that don’t want to tolerate your views today. But I admire your courage in the face of this Narcism that has consumed a certain bunch in our body politics. Whatever decision you make in the coming days/weeks, I want you to know that I will continue to respect your views as always. Those who believe that the one and only way to keep our country on the right path is through an unmanned train should continue to do so but with respect to the views and aspirations of those who believe that the train they are riding is unmanned and has lost its way. Thank you for standing up to people who don’t see beyond their self-driven egotistical agenda,” Mr. Bility remarked right after Ms. Urey issued her position statement on social media.
Adding her voice to the debate, Cllr. Moriah Yeakula who serves as Chief of Office to Mr. Cummings agreed with the position taken by Ms. Telia Urey, although they had crossed paths on many occasions regarding the internal wranglings within the CPP.
“Tee and I have had our differences and she’s crossed the lines with ABC for this same UP business and honestly, I don’t care whether she supports CDC or not, but UP dragging her on this blue app is disgusting. Y’all really a bunch of ungrateful users,” Cllr. Yeakula said.
Despite such glowing commendations from the two CPP stalwarts over Ms. Urey’s statement, many Liberians have taken serious exception, calling her out for being deceptive and unappreciative to people who stood with her when her life was threatened by the CDC during the 2019 legislative by-election in Montserrado County District #15.
“It was your father and entire family that president Weah swore that once he’s alive “no Urey” will come anywhere close to power. The UP has done nothing wrong to you, you can support whoever you want to but to single out the UP, remember we will not sit idly by,” Aaron Ben cautioned cryptically.
“Your criminal father stole our country’s money and built paradise on earth for you people. That’s the curse you guys are under and will never find peace. For me, I’m not surprised by this decision. The government cancelled 3 days of unlimited calls because your warlord father complained of losing money. His vested interest in the telecommunications sector is clear against the Liberian people,” remarked Festus Tarpar.
“Telia Urey, remember that nobody knew you, the decision to support your representative bid was made by the same hands today that you are turning against. I think it’s your right to support whomever you wish to support and we will sit back and wait for the right moment but remember history will judge you for your actions,” Benjamin Jlah Jr. said.
“Telia, you are seeking the public opinion on something that is simple to make. Make your decision and stop seeking public opinions,” remarked Sedro Emmerson Seth.
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