At long last, the electoral controversies affecting the leadership of the Press Union of Liberia has been laid to rest.
This comes as a result of a pivotal decision by Judge J. Boima Kontoe of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, Bong County, annulling the outcome of the controversial Press Union of Liberia (PUL) 2022 elections.
The landmark ruling, issued on a Motion for Summary Judgment, mandates a complete rerun of the PUL 2022 elections to be conducted on or before October 18, 2024.
Judge Kontoe justified the decision by citing violations of the PUL Constitution and Election Campaign Guidelines during the original 2022 elections.
Central to the ruling is the establishment of an interim committee comprising seven former PUL presidents and four media elders.
This committee, totaling eleven members, has been tasked with overseeing the organization and execution of new elections that adhere strictly to the Union’s constitutional provisions.
The court’s decision comes in response to a Motion for Summary Judgment filed on February 26, 2024, by legal representatives of the National Campaign Management Team of Julius Kanubah, who contested the election process.
The initial Petition for Declaratory Judgment, filed on November 18, 2022, highlighted grievances over the failure to produce a credible Membership Register by the former PUL leadership under Charles Coffey.
Team Kanubah alleged that instead of a transparent membership list, Coffey’s administration published a flawed “voter roll” riddled with ineligible members, constituting what they termed as membership registration fraud.
Furthermore, they criticized the conduct of the election itself, citing violations of campaign guidelines including the untimely staging of a Midnight election session from 7:30 PM to 3:40 AM.
In addition to annulling the election results, Judge Kontoe imposed fines of US$300 each on Charles Coffey, Daniel Nyakonah, Musa Kenneh, Akoi Baysah, and relevant Committee Members, along with their legal representative, for contemptuous behavior and failure to attend court despite repeated notices.
They have been instructed to remit these fines to the government within 72 hours, with failure to comply resulting in potential arrest and detention.
Following the court’s decision, Team Kanubah plans to convene a special press conference on Thursday, June 20, 2024, during which time they will address further developments and their strategy moving forward.
