By Bill W. Cooper
The national executive committee of the Movement for Democratic Reconstruction (MDR) has unanimously expelled three of its key partisans.
Those expelled are Deputy Commerce Minister Wilfred Bangura, National Vice Chairperson for Government Affairs; Melvin Yealu, National Secretary General and Representative Gonpu Kargon.
According to the Party, “Anyone doing business with these individuals in the name of MDR will be doing so at risk.”
According to the MDR, the decision to expel the three officials was as a result of their constant violation of the MDR’s constitution, noting that investigation established that Article 14 (a) was violated by the expelled partisans.
Article 14 (a) of MDR Constitution says “No registered member of this party shall owe loyalty to another party or cause another member to pledge allegiance to another party. If any member of this party be found supporting any party in any form or cause another partisan to pledge support to another party shall constitute a violation and punishable as may be required by law.”
According to the MDR, the National Executive Committee of the party through its Chairperson appointed a Board of Inquiry to hear the allegations of constitutional violations by the senior partisans and they were all accorded due process as required by the MDR Constitution.
The MDR, in a statement read in a press conference yesterday, in Monrovia maintained, “Partisan Wilfred Bangura in his January 23, 2023 press conference which was reported on ELBC and published in the January 24, 2023 edition of FrontPage Africa Newspaper pledged his support to ensure President Weah’s re-election as President of Liberia.”
“Also, the investigation gathered evidence of Partisan Melvin Yealue support to President Weah re-election bid. In fact, Melvin Yealu is the current Secretary General for the so-called Nimba For Weah Movement which is against the interest of MDR in the ensuring elections.
“Partisan Bangura and Partisan Yealu were also seen wearing CDC paraphernalia on February 4, 2023 as supporters of the President who have gathered to endorse his re-election bid, and this is something that runs contrary to the MDR constitution,” the MDR released stated.
According to the MDR, the investigation also established that Rep. Gonpu Kargon is canvassing the people of Nimba County District 4, to support the CDC candidate’s presidential bid against the interest of MDR in the ensuring election.
The MDR asserted that at the May 13, 2023 meeting convened by the Chairpeson of the Governing Council of the MDR, in Ganta City, Rep. Kargon admitted to Senator Prince Johnson and the elders that he supports the CDC Presidential candidate against the interest of MDR.
The MDR stressed that partisans Banguara, Yealu and Kargon actions violated the following articles of MDR Constitution namely Article 12 e. Unauthorized commitment of the party to any deal; Article 12 a/ b Misrepresentation of the party’s image.
Article 12 says elected officers of MDR shall be expelled or impeached for the above cited violation.
