The Associate Justice in Chamber of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Yusif D. Kaba has given the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) a seven-day ultimatum to resolve the recent election dispute in-house or he will rule in accordance with the law.

On Wednesday, November 23, 2022, supporters of Julius Kanubah, the defeated and aggrieved candidate presidential candidate in the union’s recent disputed election on the November 18 in Gbarnga, and Daniel Nyakonah, the union’s president-elect stormed the Temple of Justice awaiting the result from a citation of a conference from the Justice in Chamber.

Kanubah’s campaign team had filed a complaint against 1st Respondent, Judge J. Boima Kontoe, Resident Circuit Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Bong County and 2nd Respondent, the Administration of the PUL, including Atty. Ade Wede Kerkulah, Fabine Kwiah, Eddie Harmon, Cllr. Bobby Livingstone, Atty. Al-Varney Rogers, Charles B. Coffey Jr., Musa M.B. Kanneh, Daniel Nyakonah, Caroline Myers Zoduah et.al.

The petitioners’ complaint contended that the Justice in Chamber should reverse and set aside Judge Kontoe’s order vacating the stay order restraining the PUL administration from holding any election without a hearing of the petition for preliminary injunction.

It also requested that the Justice in Chamber cancels the result of the “unconstitutional” election they held in Gbarnga as if it never took place.

However, after the conference with the Justice-in-chamber, a short press briefing was held in the office of the Judicial Reporters Association of Liberia (AJUL), Temple of Justice, by the current President of the PUL, Charles B. Coffey Jr.

Coffey told reporters that the Justice-in-chamber has given them a responsibility to resolve the issue in-house within seven days. He used the occasion to shortly call on all parties and the elders of the PUL to look into the suggestion from the Justice in Chamber, a decision they are looking up to, from both parties to uphold.

The National Campaign Management Team of Julius Kanubah welcomed the advice of the Justice-in-chamber, terming it as “words of encouragement”.

In a press statement, the Kanubah’s campaign team said, it believes that the Associate Justice Kaba demonstrates judicial leadership at the highest professional level, which has been lacking at the PUL.

“Team Kanubah also commends Associate Justice Kaba for his judicial interrogative expertise and perspectives about the implications of the conflict surrounding an institution in the nature of the PUL, which is not healthy for the larger Liberian society, and if not resolved amicably could drag on and reach the full bench of the Supreme Court,” it said.

It said in order to move forward and save the blemished image of the PUL in the wake of the disastrous former leadership of Coffey and his vice president Daniel Nyakonah, who is new president-elect, it is calling on pertinently credible media stakeholders to lead the process of finding solutions to the PUL twin crisis that encompassed the failure of leadership at the union and the holding of an “unconstitutional Congress, leading to the election of an illegitimate leadership”.

“Team Kanubah is of the view that since the tenure of the failed leadership of Charles Coffey and Daniel Nyakonah has since expired in line with Article 9 of the PUL Constitution, it was now time for relevant media stakeholders to immediately step-in in the interim and help guard the process of organizing credible elections to find a legitimate leadership in accordance with Article 11 of the PUL Constitution.”

The team also continued its call for supporters to maintain a calm and civil posture as it continues to pursue the legal process to a logical conclusion.

The campaign committee of the new leadership-elect has also welcomed the advice of the Associate Justice. President-elect Nyakonah said his team is open to reconciliation as mandated by Associate Justice.

“Mr. Nyakonah is urging team Julius to honor the pending reconciliation initiative. At the same time, Team Daniel is calling on its supporters to remain calm as the judicial process,” it said in a release.

It however maintained that the recently held leadership election in Gbarnga is legitimate.