Liberia: “We Dare Weah to Rig These Elections”

Our Party’s Leadership, Our Allies from other Political Parties

My Fellow Citizens, Dear Liberians

Members of the Press

I want to thank all of our political allies for their support, loyalty and commitment to the Rescue Agenda. Liberia will reward you for the decision you have made to join and collectively change our country for the better.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023, will mark yet another milestone in our collective sojourn as a nation. These run-off elections represent the final push to remove terror, lawlessness, corruption, indifference, neglect, and incompetence that have plagued our country for six years. 

We are confident that Liberians will turn out again in their mass to demonstrate their love, courage, resilience, and determination to join us in rescuing our country. Our plans to lead this country is afoot and our resolve unmatched.

With victory in our reach and Mr. Weah’s fear of the day of reckoning, he has embarked on a reckless misadventure to orchestrate a campaign of fear.  He and his co-conspirators have now resorted to the worst acts of cowardice to frighten our people into submission but one man’s desperation for power will not hold our country ransom.

In recent days, Mr. Weah and his Government have violated all principles and laws that promote democracy and free and fair elections. He has wantonly flaunted and committed serious violations of our constitution, regional and international laws, especially the ECOWAS Protocol.

On Friday, November 10, 2023, while our Vice Standard Bearer, Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung and Senator Prince Yormie Johnson were leading scheduled campaign activities in Zor Zualay, Nimba County, they narrowly escaped death when their convoy came under a hail of gunfire.

We later learned that a certain Anthony Quiwonkpa, a staff in the office of Mr. George Weah, was responsible for this deadly attack which was premeditated and planned to disrupt and prevent the Vice Standard Bearer from campaigning. 

As a result of this brazen disregard for human lives, about 7 persons were wounded and several vehicles damaged.

Our investigation conducted so far suggests that this callous act of lawlessness was masterminded and orchestrated by President Weah and his operatives hoping that they can instill fear in the People of Nimba and the Liberian Populace. 

The UP wishes all those injured in the attacks a speedy recovery. They are true heroes. Their sacrifices will not be in vain. They are true patriots with a cause to defend.

We condemn this gross violation of our laws and call on the Government of Liberia to act swiftly in bringing the violators to justice. We call on our international partners to take note of these gross breaches of international laws. We intend to register our position through the appropriate legal channels.

In River Gee County where technical trainings were scheduled to commence on Wednesday, November 8^th, 2023, our team was harassed and later a Ghanaian National, Sumson Essien Jnr, who was providing technical assistance to us, was arrested by the Police and later subjected to cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment. 

Our vehicle, 174 smart telephones, and several elections related materials were confiscated. The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Justice refused to respect court summons and demonstrated the most wanton disregard for our courts especially after a petition for the writ of habeas corpus was prayed for and granted.  They were complicit and sneaked Mr. Essien to Monrovia under the cover of darkness. This is unaccepted! 

No deportation hearings were conducted and Mr. Essien was criminalized without due process. 

Mr. Essien was released and reportedly deported. The kangaroo process and circumstances surrounding this development needs to be investigated. 

By this act, Mr. Weah and his government have further demonstrated his indifference to national and regional commitments especially the ECOWAS Protocols.

In Maryland County, Former Senator and Ambassador John Ballout experienced unwarranted attacks by individuals allegedly acting upon the orders of defeated Maryland County Representative, Bhofal Chambers.

In Grand Kru County, the homes of our party leaders were subjected to illegal search and seizure, and they continue to experience harassments and intimidation from Pro Tempore Albert Chie of the ruling CDC. In Grand Gedeh, members of our technical team were attacked by supporters of President Weah.

In Gbaporlu, Bong and other counties, our trainers and partisans continue to report harsh treatments and intimidations from members of the Government and officials of the Coalition for Democratic Change.

On Saturday, November 4^th, 2023, the Chairperson of the Unity Party (UP), Madam Martha C. Morris and some members of her team were cruelly attacked upon the orders of Representative Marvin Cole of the CDC. In the process, the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Gbono-Ta Health Center was mercilessly flogged and taken unconscious to the John F. Kennedy Hospital here in Monrovia. 

Fellow Liberians, we have outlined these violations to narrate the fear that has gripped Mr. Weah and his Party and to state our confidence to win these elections. We know change is inevitable and now imminent.  For Mr. Weah and his co-conspirators, the day of reckoning is near: innate greed and self-aggrandizement will end.

For Liberians, it is the end of juvenile delinquent leadership and reckless governance. It is an end to lawlessness and industrialized corruption. It is the end to the tears of our mothers, relatives and friends who continue to weep for their children and loved ones who were the victims of disappearances and mysterious murders. For many parents, it is the end to the drug epidemic and the Kush invasion.  

Fellow Liberians, the Unity Party and its Allies are matured and responsible enough to understand the reckless misadventure of Mr. Weah, his Government and Party. 

We understand his feeble strategy to desperately hold on to power. We dare Mr. Weah to tamper with our votes and rig these elections. The consequences on him will be devastating and unimagined. We are committed to protecting the Liberian votes and permitting the will of the majority to prevail.

With the runoff elections scheduled on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, it is becoming obvious that the only strategy left with George Weah and his CDC is to engage in fear mongering and in some cases vain attempts to eliminate strong opponents. They want to deter peaceful Liberians from turning out in their mass to vote against the failed CDC government.

These troubling patterns of disrupting, harassing and viciously attacking Party leaders in an effort to assassinate or silence them, days to the runoff elections, is indicative of a government that has realised it will be defeated for its miserable failures. 

The Unity Party takes these frequent attacks seriously and We recall that during the first round of the elections, UP partisans were violently attacked on multiple occasions. As a result of our commitment to the Farmington declaration, we exercised utmost restraint to avoid undermining our fledgling democracy. 

We have called on our partisans and sympathizers to remain calm as such unprovoked acts are intended to instill fear, divert our campaign, and frighten our people but WE WILL NOT SURRENDER! WE WILL MEET OUR FOES WITH VALOR UNPRETENDING!

We call on all Liberians to remain emboldened in the face of these acts of lawlessness designed and implemented under the watchful eyes of Mr. Weah.

We call on all our partisans, rescue missionaries and supporters to remain calm and peaceful as we approach the day of reckoning for President Weah. 

Please turn out in your numbers on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, and troop to the polls to vote out this lawless and corrupt leadership. Please vote # 1.

By voting against Mr. Weah and his CDC you are helping to remove a failed and inept government. 

By voting for the Unity Party, you want to assure the future of hope and promise for our country and generations to come. By voting Joseph Boakai, Jeremiah Kpan Koung and the Unity Party, you are saying no to juvenile delinquent leadership in Liberia. 

In conclusion, I extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Samuel J. Collins, one of our supporters, who met his untimely death yesterday during our pre-victory parade.  I have spoken with his family and they were in good spirits. May his soul rest in peace.

Vote #1 for a prosperous Liberia and the dawning of a new Day!

THINK LIBERIA, LOVE LIBERIA AND BUILD LIBERIA

 WITH GOD ABOVE OUR RIGHT TO PROVE WE WILL OVERALL PREVAIL!!!!!!

MAY GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS LIBERIA!

I THANK YOU!