NPP chairman moves to strip Jewel Howard-Taylor of party leadership
Party delegates will elect a 'political leader' instead of a standard bearer at the December convention.
The National Patriotic Party (NPP) in Liberia plans to elect a "political leader" at its December convention, a move critics say will remove embattled Standard Bearer Jewel Howard-Taylor from party control. NPP National Chairman Atty. George Sylvester Mulbah Sr. stated that the position of political leader will not contest the presidency and will cease to exist after the 2029 elections. This decision is based on a 2016 Bomi amendment to the party's constitution, according to Mulbah.
Mulbah also declared that all current officials have lost their tenure, meaning new officers will be elected at the convention. This announcement follows complaints about the convention's delegation size, with Mulbah confirming that three delegates per district, totaling approximately 219 voting delegates, will attend. Critics within the party reject the plan, asserting that a "political leader" position is not in the NPP's constitution or by-laws, and that the Bomi amendment was never properly circulated.
This development deepens a crisis within the NPP, with some party insiders alleging that the convention's timing is intended to facilitate a takeover by Vice President Jeremiah Koung. A group called Concerned Partisans of the National Patriotic Party (CP-NPP) has called for the convention's postponement, citing a lack of sensitivity to Howard-Taylor's current drug trafficking and money laundering prosecution.
Why it mattersFormer Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor faces the loss of her party leadership position while also dealing with drug trafficking and money laundering charges.