The standard bearer of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, and its National Chairman, Mr. James Biney, have signed a joint resolution to foster genuine peace within the party.
The historic signing ceremony of the reconciliation and unification pact which was held Saturday March 6, 2021 at the party’s national headquarters in Monrovia was also witnessed by hundreds of partisans from across the country.
The resolution, which is aimed at promoting mutual understanding and cooperation within the party’s leadership and amongst all its members, comes into force after two years of conflict within the National Patriotic Party.
In her opening statement, Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor said after a careful consideration and robust consultations at all levels of the party, the new framework brings together all members of the party under a strong spirit of reconciliation and unity.
“This is an historical moment of profound significance, and I am truly humbled to have been able to play my part. I expressed deep gratitude to all; especially to our national chairman for the selflessness exhibited during in this process. May God bind us and our political party, the NPP, with a three cord strand which cannot be broken” Vice President Howard-Taylor stated.
She called on all NPP partisans to put the past behind and join hands to work together for the forward movement of the party. Vice President Howard-Taylor also pledged her commitment to work with all stakeholders within the party to ensure lasting reconciliation and unity.
The NPP’s standard bearer praised partisan Roland Duo and other members of the mediation team, whose efforts, she said – led to finding amicable solution to the misunderstanding within the party.
As part of the reconciliatory efforts at all levels of the party, Vice President Howard-Taylor additionally announced four sub-committees to travel across the country to reawaken the spirit of the party and resolve outstanding issues in the party’s local structures.
Also speaking, the national chairman of the party and Senator-elect James Biney described the event as a new dawn in the history of the NPP. Chairman Binney said he was glad that all partisans of the NPP can again gather under one umbrella of unity to foster the agenda of the party
The chairman, who expressed his full commitment to work with the standard bearer and all members of the party for reconciliation and unity, also said it was time to put all the misunderstanding aside and work in the collective interest of the party.
The Maryland County Senator-elect said he will strongly work in the senate and the national level to promote the image of the party, and additionally to invest in strengthening the local structures of the party in Maryland.
It can be recalled, that some forces within the National Patriotic Party last year took the Vice President to court with a laundry list of allegations ranging from violation of the party’s constitution, usurping executive functions and corruption with some people within the NPP, advocating that she step down as standard bearer.
In its suit before the Civil Law Court against the VP, the party accused Madam Howard Taylor of convening a National Executive Committee Meeting in the name of the NPP, regarding the party’s planned senatorial primaries and setting up of constitutional Review Committee.
Chairman Biney, Secretary-General Andrew Peters and George Mulbah at the time filed a petition for Declaratory Judgment against their Standard Bearer, the Vice President, Howard Taylor.
The aggrieved officials of the party complained that the Vice President on June 12, 2020, reportedly refused to attend the NPP’s National Executive Committee meeting at a local Hotel in Monrovia; but she unconstitutionally convened and presided over a separate Executive Committee meeting at the NPP headquarters on the same day.
Ironically, Mr. Biney was expelled from the party in November 2018 and retaliated by hosting a convention of his own during which he and his faction announced the expulsion of the Vice President from the party.
At the time, Mr. Cyril Allen, the chairman of the governing council of the Coalition for Democratic Change, described the action by Biney and his group as reckless and irresponsible.
Amidst all the internal wrangling, Vice President Howard-Taylor ruled out any chance of quitting the NPP and denied all the allegations. She noted at the time that the NPP as a former ruling Party and one of the most grassroots political parties in Liberia has always survived for decades amidst disagreements.
VP Howard-Taylor was emphatic that the NPP remains a formidable force in the body politics of the state with the emergence of firebrand young people to keep the Party’s vision alive across Liberia.