The Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) Bong County Secretariat has appointed an interim leadership for the Jorquelleh District #2 Youth Council, in a move aimed at ending a months-long electoral dispute and clearing the way for a new, credible youth administration.
The announcement was made on Monday, August 17, 2026, during a press conference in Gbarnga, where FLY Bong County Secretariat Coordinator Jerry S. Forkpah said the intervention was necessary to restore effective youth governance and prevent further confrontation among young people in the district.
The interim administration will be headed by Alonzo Killenjor as acting president, with Elizabeth Paye as vice-president and Timothy W. Mulbah as secretary-general.
FLY Bong stressed that the appointments are temporary and should not be interpreted as replacing a legitimately elected Jorquelleh District #2 Youth Council.
Instead, the Secretariat says the interim leadership is intended to create a neutral environment for dialogue, restore confidence in the electoral process and help organise an election that can be accepted by competing candidates and youth groups.
Election dispute leaves youth council without elected leadership
The intervention follows disagreements surrounding the administration and electoral process of the Jorquelleh District #2 Youth Council.
According to Mr Forkpah, the election process began in September 2025 but has remained unresolved, leaving young people in the district without a newly elected leadership for almost a year.
He said the prolonged dispute had generated tensions involving youth leaders, candidates, election officials and local authorities.
“As it relates to the issue of Jorquelleh District #2 youth election, there have been a series of confrontations,” Mr Forkpah said.
The FLY Bong coordinator said the organisation could not allow the dispute to continue indefinitely because the absence of an elected youth administration could weaken youth participation in community development and the wider county youth leadership structure.
The interim leadership, he said, is intended to “neutralise” the confrontation and provide competing sides with an opportunity to resolve their differences through dialogue.
Its mandate will include temporary administrative coordination, supporting the electoral commission, facilitating discussions among stakeholders and helping create conditions for a peaceful and inclusive election.
The interim leaders are also expected to engage traditional leaders, community organisations, youth groups, candidates and other stakeholders.
Election expected before end of November
FLY Bong has not announced a specific election date, but it has set a deadline for the completion of the process.
Mr Forkpah said the interim administration is expected to begin its work on 1 September 2026 and remain in place until 30 November 2026.
Within that period, the youth election is expected to take place, followed by the installation of the winners as the legitimate representatives of young people in Jorquelleh District #2.
“The interim leadership is going to work from September 1 to November 30,” Mr Forkpah said. “In that period of time, we expect the election to be conducted.”
The timeframe appears designed to prevent the temporary arrangement from becoming a permanent substitute for elected leadership.
For FLY Bong, the credibility of the process will depend heavily on whether candidates and their supporters accept the electoral rules and allow voters to choose their representatives without intimidation or interference.
The Secretariat has called on candidates, delegates, youth organisations and other stakeholders to cooperate with the interim leadership and respect established electoral procedures.
It has also urged young people to reject violence, threats, intimidation, personal attacks and misinformation.
FLY defends intervention as constitutional
Mr Forkpah defended the decision to appoint the interim leadership, saying it was based on the constitution and code of conduct of the Federation of Liberian Youth.
He said FLY has a responsibility to coordinate youth activities and protect the interests of young people across Liberia’s 15 political subdivisions.
The intervention, he argued, is therefore not intended to disenfranchise candidates or prevent any legitimate youth organisation from participating in the electoral process.
Instead, FLY says its objective is to restore order, fairness and confidence in an election that has become increasingly contentious.
The organisation has encouraged competing sides to use dialogue and recognised institutional mechanisms to resolve disagreements.
It also warned that political differences among young people should not be allowed to overshadow the broader development interests of Jorquelleh District #2.
“We therefore urge all youth leaders and stakeholders to place the interest of the young people in the development of Jorquelleh District #2 above individual ambitions,” the Secretariat said.
Part of wider Bong youth elections
The dispute in Jorquelleh District #2 comes as FLY Bong attempts to complete youth elections across Bong County.
Mr Forkpah said elections have already been successfully conducted in 10 of Bong County’s 14 administrative districts, leaving four districts still to be completed.
The remaining elections are particularly important because FLY Bong wants to conduct a county-level youth caucus election in January 2027.
The organisation argues that a countywide youth leadership election would face questions of legitimacy if some administrative districts do not have elected representatives.
“We cannot have an election for the 14 administrative district youth presidents where we still have districts that don’t have legitimate leadership,” Mr Forkpah said.
The Secretariat says the remaining electoral processes are being pursued with the involvement of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The objective is to establish a functioning structure through which young people can elect representatives at district level and participate in countywide youth leadership.
Calls for peaceful participation
FLY Bong has appealed to traditional leaders, local authorities, civil society organisations, community leaders and youth groups to support the interim arrangement.
The organisation says their involvement will be essential to preventing another breakdown in the electoral process.
It has also called for all candidates to be treated equally and allowed to participate without discrimination.
The warning against intimidation and misinformation is particularly significant given the confrontations that FLY says have already occurred.
An election cannot restore confidence if candidates or voters believe they are being threatened, excluded or manipulated.
The success of the interim administration will therefore depend not only on the ability of its three appointed leaders to coordinate activities, but also on the willingness of rival groups to accept them as neutral custodians of the transition.
For young people in Jorquelleh District #2, the intervention represents a possible route out of a dispute that has prevented them from choosing new representatives since the electoral process began last year.
Resource constraints pose another challenge
Mr Forkpah also acknowledged that FLY Bong faces operational and financial difficulties.
Youth leaders, he said, have often been required to carry out their responsibilities with limited resources.
But he argued that these challenges cannot become an excuse for failing to serve young people.
“There will always be challenges, but we cannot allow the challenges to serve as a stumbling block or an obstacle that will make us not to be effective,” he said.
FLY Bong leadership positions are largely voluntary, according to Mr Forkpah, who said the Secretariat remains committed to its responsibilities despite its limitations.
The organisation now faces a significant test in Jorquelleh District #2.
It must demonstrate that the interim arrangement can bring competing groups together, rebuild trust and restart an electoral process that has been stalled for months.
Test of youth democracy
The events in Jorquelleh District #2 highlight a wider challenge facing youth organizations: elections can only strengthen democratic participation when competing sides trust the process and accept its outcome.
The appointment of an interim administration may provide breathing space, but it will not by itself resolve the underlying disagreements.
Those disagreements will ultimately have to be addressed through transparent procedures, meaningful dialogue and an election viewed as credible by the candidates and voters involved.
FLY Bong’s stated goal is therefore bigger than simply holding another election.
The Secretariat wants to restore confidence in youth leadership and establish a functioning structure through which young people can participate in decisions affecting their communities.
If the November deadline is met, Jorquelleh District #2 could emerge from its prolonged leadership dispute with a newly elected youth administration.
If the process is delayed again, however, the intervention could face renewed questions about its effectiveness and the ability of FLY Bong to manage internal electoral disputes.
For now, the organization has placed the responsibility on all sides to cooperate.
The coming months will determine whether the interim leadership can turn a contentious electoral dispute into a peaceful transition — and whether young people in Jorquelleh District #2 will finally have the opportunity to choose their representatives through a transparent and credible vote.
