By Precious D. Freeman
The newly appointed Governor of the populated Borough of New Kru Town, Robert B. Teah, has blamed the commotion on Monday on the former Vice Governor, Wle Wle Kofa’s unwillingness to turn over.
In an interview with him yesterday, he mentioned that they were appointed by President Boakai on April 18 and confirmed adding that according to the mandate from the President, the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) should be acting after the confirmation until the induction, but it was surprisingly that the old officials were still in office.
The Local Act 2.13B says the President should appoint with the consent of the Liberian Senate and Teah explained that when they noticed that the former governor is still in office the Deputy Minister for Operation decided to go to his office in order for him to step down that was when the violence began.
He clarified that the violence was not about his induction because he is still awaiting his appointment letter from the President, adding that every resident in the borough of New Kru Town are in his favor, but the violence was about the former governor to step down.
It was reported on Ok Fm yesterday that the tension on Monday morning erupted in the Borough of New Kru Town as the result of an alleged induction ceremony for Teah
According to the radio, a meeting was held over the weekend by some elders of the six nominating districts to prevent Mr. Teah from taking office and it was reported by some elders that President Boakai allegedly failed to adhere to the Act that created the Borough of New Kru Town which was the cause of the tension.
According to them, the Act that create the Borough give the elders of the six nominating districts the authority to vet, select and forward the name of the person to be governor to the President for appointment but according to them, President Boakai did not follow the right procedure before appointing Mr. Teah.
The elders called for an end to political manipulation and urged both Representative Seboe and President Boakai to prioritize adherence to lawful procedures in the selection of the Borough’s governor, thereby averting potential future conflicts and disharmony.
President Boakai who appointed Teah as Governor early April 2024 met no such resistance until three months after with some purported elders resisting and thereby igniting a protest that witnessed residents setting ablaze tires and blocking all intersections into the Borough thus preventing the free flow of ambulance and other vehicles into the area.
In an interview on Monday, April 22, 2024, the Chairperson of the six nominating districts, Comfort Toe, buttressed the protesters’ action when she explained that President Boakai’s decision constitutes a flagrant violation of the Borough’s governing legislation.
She clarified that the established Act is clear that the authority to appoint a governor lies solely with the elders of the six nominating districts, who then submit their nominee to the President for formal appointment; terming it as a process that was overlooked in the recent appointment.
Madam Toe emphasized that the elders are unified in their refusal to recognize Mr. Teah as the Borough’s new Governor until proper adherence to the law and tradition governing the appointment process is observed and that they are adamantly urging President Boakai to retract Mr. Teah’s appointment and ensure compliance with the established procedures.
Addressing internal tensions among the elders regarding the selection of the next governor, Madam Toe acknowledged the presence of discord and urged President Boakai to intervene and facilitate a resolution in accordance with the Borough’s governing Act.
On the other hand, several elders have condemned Representative Dixon Seboe for allegedly exacerbating the division within the Borough and further accused him of endorsing an illegitimate selection process that supported Wleh Wleh Koffa as the chosen governor, contrary to the elders’ consensus.
The elders vehemently opposed Representative Seboe’s actions and demanded that he refrains from promoting Mr. Koffa as the elected governor on allegations that Representative Seboe, upon learning of President Boakai’s appointment, advocated for Mr. Koffa’s candidacy with Speaker Fonati Koffa.
However, the elders condemned this as a blatant disregard for their authority and issued a stern warning for Representative Seboe to adhere to proper procedures and called for an end to political manipulation and urged both Representative Seboe and President Boakai to prioritize adherence to lawful procedures in the selection of the Borough’s governor, thereby averting potential future conflicts and disharmony.
