The outgoing president of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Charles Coffey and his Vice president, Daniel Nyakonah have begun confusing members regarding the union’s financial management over the last six years.
Their contradicting accounts on how funds provided the union are being managed have begun creating uneasiness among the members who have barely a week away from electing new leaders.
Monies received by the Coffey’s administration especially during the Union’s anniversaries during its six years tenure, since 2016 were not accounted for until now that the Union’s election is scheduled for Saturday, November 12 in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The contractions were unearthed following series of heated debates early this week in Monrovia with Nyakonah giving a different version of the never published financial statement while Coffey’s version seems contrary thereby raising eyebrows about the credibility of this leadership and more public questioning.
During the presidential debate conducted by the Liberia Media Development Initiative (LMDI) between incumbent Vice president Nyakonah and his fierce opponent, Julius Kanubah on Monday, October 31,Nyakonah assured the audience that the US$10, 000 given to the Union by the People Liberation Party (PLP’s) leader, Daniel Cassell, is in an escrow account. Nyakonah who is vying to succeed Coffey failed to give the name of the bank that is housing the escrow account instead, his responses to questions from the audience relating to the Union’s monies by the present leadership was not only an embarrassment but a contradiction to his boss’ earlier public account from an interview granted some reporters some time ago.
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, during the Union 56th Anniversary celebration held in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, Cassell gave PUL US$10, 000 check as a way of identifying with the Liberian media; an amount which was agreed to go towards the Union’s headquarters project.
In an audio aired by the state-owned Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) Super Morning Show (SMS) program on Tuesday, November 1 and hosted by Sorbor George, Coffey told the interviewers that that particular amount was used for “operation purposes” without making any specific reference.
Coffey’s efforts to clarify those comments made in the audio from an earlier interview granted got himself into hot water with the public by receiving barrage of questions not only from the SMS’s host but from callers as well.
He did not only evade those questions but vehemently refused to provide responses to them. Though, he did not deny the audio but claimed that he was “misquoted” by the interviewers who tried to score political points against him doing these PUL’s electioneering period.
From the audio, Coffey claimed earlier that Cassell’s US$10, 000 was used to cover losses sustained from the alleged burglary of the Union’s headquarters where materials including computers and other valuables were taken away.
“The money was used to cover the losses despite reporting the matter to the police for investigation. Until now, we have not gotten any response from the police either. Even President George Weah’s US$10, 000 to the Union was also used during the anniversary celebration in Fish Town, Rivergee County in 2021,” the PUL president recollected.
With all of the allegations and counter allegations against the PUL in terms of financial in appropriation, Coffey vowed to make his two-term final reports at the Union’s congress in Gbarnga.
Some observers mainly PUL members who listened to Coffey’s responses on the SMS’s show yesterday did not considered same laughable but are calling for an audit of all transactions carried out during his tenure for the past six years.
The observers believes that for every PUL’s birthday held in the regional capitols like Harper, Barclayville, Tubmanburg, Voinjama, Gbarnga and Sanniquellie among others, cash donations were made to the Union by senior officials of government or some philanthropists residing in those places.