Monrovia-The Alternative National Congress (ANC), once a formidable political force in Liberia’s body politics, appears to be in a sunken stage amid reports of insolvency, hijack of power, one-man-show and other happenings said to be threatening its vitality.
The ANC has been on the fence since the end of the 2023 presidential and legislative elections in which it dismally performed, coming a fourth distance to other parties including the newest ones.
The Party’s reticence since the inception of the Boakai regime was thought to be a result of internal reorganization and strategizing, convalescing from the huge election loss when hopes of a good performance were initially high due to the incredible investments made in rejuvenating the party as well as the campaign process.
It was predicted at some point in time that the ANC was better positioned to clench victory over the incumbent Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) as opposed to the Unity Party due to its well structural layout and organization, but the elections result proved otherwise bemoaning for partisans.
Contrary to these are reports of unbelievable developments including its inability to convene its national convention twice to be able to reflect, infuse new dynamism and most importantly elect new corps of officers, including a political leader.
A party executive, Prince Blama recently told Spoon Talk the struggles ANC is enduring that are hampering the holding of the convention after two different attempts to do so.
Blama who is deputy national vice chairman for the ANC youth congress is against the concept of centralizing and revolving the party around one man, political leader and former standard-bearer, Alexander B. Cummings.
He argued that Mr. Cummings has paid his due in terms of shouldering the party’s responsibilities in times past, including personally shouldering the holding of conventions and meeting other important obligations.
Blama believed it was high time the ANC changed course because “you can do the same thing over and again, and expect to get different results.”
“This is Mr. Cummings quote. So, we are saying Cummings is the acting political leader of the party, and the Convention will legitimize his status as political leader,” Blama argued on the popular Platform also hosted by some ANC supporters.
It appears that Mr. Cummings is attempting to double-dip the process, trying to maintain his position and at the same time imposing another person on the party, something Blama said should not be.
Referring to Mr. Cummings as acting political leader, Blamasaid solution to the imbroglio is for Mr. Cummings to allow the Convention, the highest decision-making body of the ANC, make the determination of who will be the political leader.
As it stands, Blama divulged that the party is under force majeure, meaning that it cannot go to convention.
Amongst other significant issues raised by Blama during his appearance on SpoonTalk is the claim that the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) comprising of ANC and Musa BilityFaction of the Liberty Party received whooping $1.5 million dollars from the CDC as signature fees to support it (CDC) in the run-off elections.
Out of the amount, he disclosed that over $700, 50,000 went to the Liberty Party while another over $700, 50, 000 went to the ANC. He said it was inconceivable for the ANC to complain of not having money to host Convention when it supposed to have money in its account for the convention and also pay its rental fees.
“The Convention was caught off twice and this is the third time it is being caught off because of no money,” Blama told the Platform. When pushed whether he was sure of the claims that the CDC gave CPP such amount, Blama answered affirmatively, stating there are documents to the effect.
However, two CDC officials on the show including former Representative Acarous Gray and former Assistant Youth Sports Minister Isaac Doe rebuffed Blama’s claims that their party ever dished up money to the ANC. The two CDC executives said at no time the party provided any money to the ANC as endorsement fees to support its reelection bid in the run-off with the UP.
However, Show Host, Stanton Whiterspoon quoted ANC Chairman, Horatio Gould as confirming receipt of money from the CDC during the run-off elections, but said the amount was less than $300,000 contrary to Blama’s claims.
Mr. Gould’s acknowledgement, as revealed by Whiterspoon, beclouded Gray and Doe denials that the CDC did not give any moneys to the CPP, by extension the ANC and Bility’s Liberty party faction.
However, an ANC official who called on the show countered Blama’s assertions about the party, stating that Blama was wayward partisan who does not even venture around the party. He denied that at no time the ANC has been evicted from its current headquarters on the Old Road as claimed by Mr. Blama.
Confirmed or not, why the CDC as ruling party would go into arrangement with a party that did not do well in the first round of the elections is political observers’ mind-boggling concerns. These developments coming from the ANC, according to analysts, paint a bleak picture of the party’s current standings amongst comity of opposition parties in the country.
They also point to the fact that conditions in the party are not ripe and are marks of confusion shaking its foundation and future.
