Mr. Speaker, members of the House of Representatives, fellow citizens, and friends:

It deeply saddens me to note that after many years of a brutal civil war; a war that divided our country; that uprooted our family trees, and took away hundreds of thousands of innocent lives; where looters plundered and desecrated the entire country; a war that finally put us 100 years backward; we the citizens of this republic, are once again witnessing the same vices that ignited the civil war perpetrated by those who advocated and financed the bloody genocide and desecration of our country.
  
There’s no justification for the 17 years of wanton killings in a senseless war, where vultures looted, ransacked and desecrated our country. And for those war mongers who claimed that their plans were to purposely eliminate: corruption, nepotism among tribalism, and social injustices, then let me say this publicly that your civil war was MEANINGLESS… And to the perpetrators who slaughtered and dealt with our people inhumanely during the war under the pretense of cleaning up our political woes, that you all have failed miserably, as innocent lives were taken for vanity. For it appears that the true and singular intention of the chief and other architects of reckless killings during the senseless civil war was centered on self aggrandizement.

Under the watch of President Sirleaf, Liberia now ranked: The most corrupt nation on the face of the earth. Government officials who embezzle state coffers get away with impunity, yet the organic law of this land, the constitution, forbids this type of misconduct. And after seven years of corrupt practices, and in cases where our constitution is grossly violated, I see no reason why Mrs. Sirleaf should continue to serve this nation as President.

No president or leader is above the law of this land, and that is why our constitution clothed us with the authority to take necessary steps to safe guide the republic.  

Article 5 (c) of the Liberian Constitution states: The Republic shall take steps, by appropriate legislation and executive orders, to eliminate sectionalism and tribalism, and such abuses of power as the misuse of government resources, nepotism and all other corrupt practices.

For more than seven consecutive years, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has failed in upholding Article 5 (c) of the Liberian constitution, and as such must not be allowed to continue serving as Chief Executive of Liberia.

Her Vice-President, Joseph Boakai, has openly and unilaterally announced to this body and the rest of the world that he has no interest in ascending to the presidency when his boss resigns. The constitution is also clear on that matter: 

Article 62 of the Liberian constitution states: The President and the Vice-President may be removed from office by impeachment for treason, bribery and other felonies, violation of the Constitution or gross misconduct.

Article 64 of the Liberian constitution also states: Whenever the office of the President and of the Vice-President shall become vacant by reason of removal, death, resignation, inability or other disability of the President and the Vice-President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be sworn in as Acting President until the holding of elections to fill the vacancies so created. Should the Speaker be legally incapable or otherwise unable to assume the office of Acting President, then the same shall devolve upon the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. In any further line of descent, the office shall devolve in order upon the Deputy Speaker and members of the Cabinet in the order of precedence as established by law. The Elections Commission shall within ninety days conduct elections for a new President and a new Vice President.

It is very transparent that rampant corruption is prevalent in the Liberian government and officials are not prosecuted. Numerous pleas have been made for the President to take actions and persecute her corrupt officials and to obey the Liberian Constitution. But her office neglected to listen to the Liberian people. She has only paid lip services, and deliberately refused to take concrete actions or turned over her corrupt officials to face prosecution.

For more than seven years, President Sirleaf failed to execute any executive order to prosecute corrupt officials, especially those in government who are closed relatives or friends; she also failed to act on the GAC reports.   

It is in this patriotic spirit as a Liberian, and speaking on behave of all peace loving citizens, that I do hereby request that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf be removed from office by impeachment for consistently violating Article 5 (c) of the Liberian Constitution as it relates to: abuses of power as the misuse of government resources, nepotism and all other corrupt practices as enshrined in our organic law. 

With God above, our rights to prove, we will o'er all prevail.

I pray hope that this honorable body will see the need to act expeditiously, and begin impeachment proceedings on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

I remain a Liberian

D. Garkpe Gedepoh
CEO/Publisher of the African Panorama
ceo@africanpanorama.org