The erstwhile Interim Committee of the Press Union of Liberia says it has ended its mandate after submitting a comprehensive report detailing the successful execution of the court’s order to the 9th Judicial Circuit in Gbarnga Bong County.
On 18 June, Judge Boima Konto set aside the results of the PUL disputed elections of 19 November 2022 and authorized the Interim Committee of seven former leaders of the Union and four media elders to clean up the membership roster and conduct a rerun of the elections on or before October 18, 2024.
Presenting the report to Resident Judge Boima Konto on 17 October for onward submission to the Court in Gbarnga, the Convener of the Committee, Peter Quaqua acknowledged the Court for challenging former leaders and media elders to manage the crucial transition in the history of the PUL.
Mr. Quaqua said the Committee members were honored to have gotten involved in the restoration of the Union and hoped that the prolonged legal battle and wounds created have taught some valuable lessons to all members of the Union.
The Convener added, “We are aware that the division runs deep and wide, but nothing worth doing ever comes easy; our prayers are with the new leaders to find the courage to lead with respect and tolerance, bearing in mind our shared commitment to the larger society”.
As the Committee’s mandate officially ended on Friday, October 18, it is calling on aggrieved members still engaged in the legal challenge of the elections to disengage and save the Union from any further embarrassment.
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Though members have the right to legal recourse, the Committee noted that the PUL had already suffered substantial reputational damage in the nearly two-year legal fight over an election, for it to endure another round of court jostling.
“We beseech all of our friends and comrades to rally around the Union to pick up what is left of its character and work in solidarity to restore its standing in the Liberian society,” Quaqua said.
The former PUL president reminded members that in 60 years, the PUL had demonstrated resilience and outstanding services to the democratic development of Liberia and could not therefore afford a trajectory of self-destruction in observance of this milestone.
Mr. Quaqua said that, for the Union’s sake, members of the Interim Committee were happy to have spent their meager resources implementing the Court’s mandate.
He maintained, “Some of us feel indebted to the Union and obligated to the protection of the civic space that’s why we have insisted on the resolution of this conflict in the face of the verbal aggression and smear campaigns, but it should be said that we have no appetite to be trapped in a legal battle.”
On 1 October, a new leadership headed by Julius Kanubah took over the affairs of the Union following their induction. However, the Committee must still answer to a Petition at the Civil Law Court for Declaratory Judgment filed against it on 20 September by some aggrieved members.
