Monrovia — The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) is urging the Supreme Court of Liberia to promptly hear its motion to rescind Justice Joseph Nagbe’s ruling that annulled a stay order on the inauguration of the Union’s elected leaders.
The dispute originated in the case *Julius K. Kanubah vs. Press Union of Liberia Leadership, Membership, Congress & Election Committees*. Team Kanubah accused the PUL leadership, membership, congress and election committees of “voters’ roll piling.” The PUL leadership dismissed the allegation as baseless and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the Union’s reputation for personal gain. In the lead‑up to the PUL election, Team Kanubah launched a campaign of unsubstantiated accusations, claiming that the Membership Committee had added twenty‑seven individuals to the voters’ roll after the accreditation period. When the committee examined the list, most of the names were found to be supporters of Team Kanubah, which then consented to their inclusion.
Team Kanubah requested two days to research and submit a detailed complaint; the committees granted the request. Instead of focusing on the voters’ roll, the team returned with a complaint against Alternative Youth Radio (AYR), alleging that its journalists were unqualified for full PUL membership. The team refused to attend a hearing on this matter and proposed, mid‑process, the creation of an independent committee headed by the National Civil Society Council of Liberia to clean up the voters’ roll. The congress and election committees rejected this suggestion and summoned all parties to a cleanup session, which Team Kanubah failed to attend.
Subsequently, Team Kanubah and its supporters held several press conferences, spreading falsehoods about the Union’s democratic processes. On the second day of the congress in Gbarnga, Julius K. Kanubah obtained an injunction to halt the PUL election. The injunction was later vacated by the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga after the PUL’s lawyers filed a valid bond, allowing the election to proceed as scheduled. Of the 1,211 registered voters, 350 cast ballots, with Kanubah receiving 15 votes.
After the election, Team Kanubah, which had boycotted and disrupted the congress, filed a writ of prohibition before Justice Yousef Kaba, seeking to annul the entire election. Justice Kaba denied the request. The team then returned to Gbarnga and placed a stay order on the inauguration of PUL officers, having withdrawn their initial writ of declaratory judgment and filed amendments. Justice Joseph Nagbe later annulled the 9th Judicial Circuit Court’s action.
The PUL stresses that an expedited hearing of its motion to rescind is crucial, as the matter impacts the 2023 elections and the protection of journalists before, during, and after the general election. The Union argues that installing duly elected leaders will enhance the credibility of the 2023 General Election by contributing to a free, fair, transparent, and verifiable process.
Meanwhile, the Coffey Administration maintains that it remains the legitimate leadership of the Union in the absence of an inaugurated leadership, asserting that it is the only lawful entity to hold over the PUL temporarily. It rejects any notion of an interim leadership as undemocratic and a political maneuver to install unpopular individuals.
The Press Union of Liberia calls on Team Kanubah and its supporters to support the Supreme Court’s swift consideration of the motion to rescind Justice Nagbe’s ruling, thereby allowing the proper induction of the Union’s elected officials.
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