{"id":278908,"date":"2021-12-20T16:47:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T20:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=278908"},"modified":"2021-12-21T00:20:44","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T04:20:44","slug":"app-leadership-battle-continues-as-two-founding-members-issued-legal-papers-by-political-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/app-leadership-battle-continues-as-two-founding-members-issued-legal-papers-by-political-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"APP leadership battle continues as two founding members issued legal papers by Political leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\nPolitical leader of the less than two-year-old Alternative Peoples\u2019 Party (APP) Tahira Blanchard has sent legal papers to two of the founding members of the party for what she says are false accusations made in the media.\r\n\r\nOn December 2, 2021, a press release signed by \u201cChair of APP\u2019s Transitory Executive\u201d Kendra Stephen stated that such executive which was elected on October 20, 2021 \u201cis the only legitimate administrative unit of the APP, and we do not recognize Tahira Blanchard or Julius Corbett as Executive leaders.\u201d\r\n\r\nAccording to the release, Blanchard and Corbett\u2019s positions of Party Leader (Ag.) and President (Ag.) respectively were null and void, and therefore any action undertaken or statements made by them in their annulled capacities are \u201cbaseless and without merit.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cOur main focus is on preparing and repositioning the team for greater public engagement which will recommence following the appointment of our Honourable Political Leader,\u201d the statement said.\r\n\r\nIn response to such accusations, Blanchard not only issued a press release debunking such claims but sent a cease and desist letter to Stephen through the party’s attorney\u00a0 Rose-Anne Charles.\r\n\r\nAccording to the release bearing Blanchard’s signature, it states based on the party\u2019s ratified constitution that the duly elected executive of\u00a0 which presently consist of Blanchard (leader), Julius Corbett (President) and Sharon Vidal (Deputy Leader), they do not recognize Alexander Bruno or Kendra Stephen as executive leaders.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Alternative Peoples’ Party wishes to advise all media outlets on island that neither Alexander Bruno nor Kendra Stephen are associated with APP and they are not authorised to speak for or on the behalf of the Alternative Peoples’ Party,\u201d she said. \u201cMessages received from them should be treated as null and void and the dissemination of information received from any of these individuals from their media outlet would be seen as malicious and a deliberate attempt to cause harm and damage to the name and image of the party.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe media statement goes on to note that despite both receiving the cease and desist letters from the party\u2019s attorneys Bruno and Stephen continue to create \u201cmischief.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn the first letter sent to Bruno on October 27, it highlights that he had tendered his resignation from the party as the Chief Strategist, however, since doing so he has continued to disseminate emails in the name of APP and have failed to return goods, including backpacks which were donated by party supporters as part of APP’s Back to School Programme.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur further instructions are that a press release dated October 22, 2021, which was signed by Kendra Stephens has been disseminated by you and\/or Miss Stephen. This press release referred to ‘Article 21 of the party’s Constitution and to a Congress which was held by you and some other individuals on October 20, 2021. As you are no doubt aware, the Constitution which you rely on has not been accepted by the Executive of APP particularly because Article 21 is contrary to the principles of democracy which guide the party,\u201d the legal document stated.\r\n\r\nIt goes on to note that APP has ratified a different constitution which was presented to the Electoral Office at the time that APP was registered and which guides APP’s actions and as such there is no provision in APP’s constitution for founding members.\r\n\r\n\u201cConsequently, the Congress of 20″ October 2021 and any other meeting which is arranged by you as a ‘Founding Member’ and which purports to make decisions for APP and any decisions which come out of these illegally constituted meetings are null and void,\u201d it declared.\r\n\r\nA similar letter sent to Stephen on December 11, points out that she has been signing several press releases on behalf of APP without the prior knowledge and consent of the present executive.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur further instructions are that you have, along with other persons, including Mr Alexander Bruno, has been organising meetings as ‘Founding Members’ of APP. You are advised that any meetings which are arranged by you and Mr Bruno as ‘Founding Members of APP’ and which purport to make decisions for APP and any decisions which come out of any of these illegally constituted meetings are null and void,\u201d the notice said, further cautioned Stephen to desist from such action.\r\n\r\nIn the most recent letter sent to Stephen dated December 14, she was further warned against disseminating any information on behalf of APP and asked to meet with Blanchard to mitigate the situation which Dominica News Online (DNO) has learnt has not been done.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhile our clients are not opposed to seeking redress from the court, they would, in the interest of the Party, prefer this matter to be resolved through dialogue with you instead of litigation so are giving you this opportunity to contact our office to arrange a meeting with them,\u201d it said.\r\n\r\n\u201cShould we or our clients not hear from you within 5 days of your receipt of this letter, they will take this to mean that you do not wish to alter your present posture, and they will have no choice but to proceed to litigation against you,\u201d the letter added.\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, the young party became embroiled in a controversy surrounding the resignation of Bruno when the party announced in a press release, that Bruno had resigned via a WhatsApp message to APP president Julius Corbett. Bruno vehemently denied that claim but mere hours later, he submitted what he said was his official resignation letter which was shared with the media.\r\n\r\nAPP officials told DNO at the time that based on a series of actions taken by Bruno within the preceding weeks, they agreed that a parting of the ways was the best option to protect the party\u2019s integrity.\r\n\r\nAttached below is the party’s constitution, and the letters sent to Stephen and Bruno.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLetter to Kendra Stephen\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t
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\r\n\r\nPolitical leader of the less than two-year-old Alternative Peoples\u2019 Party (APP) Tahira Blanchard has sent legal papers to two of the founding members of the party for what she says are false accusations made in the media.\r\n\r\nOn December 2, 2021, a press release signed by \u201cChair of APP\u2019s Transitory Executive\u201d Kendra Stephen stated that such executive which was elected on October 20, 2021 \u201cis the only legitimate administrative unit of the APP, and we do not recognize Tahira Blanchard or Julius Corbett as Executive leaders.\u201d\r\n\r\nAccording to the release, Blanchard and Corbett\u2019s positions of Party Leader (Ag.) and President (Ag.) respectively were null and void, and therefore any action undertaken or statements made by them in their annulled capacities are \u201cbaseless and without merit.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cOur main focus is on preparing and repositioning the team for greater public engagement which will recommence following the appointment of our Honourable Political Leader,\u201d the statement said.\r\n\r\nIn response to such accusations, Blanchard not only issued a press release debunking such claims but sent a cease and desist letter to Stephen through the party’s attorney\u00a0 Rose-Anne Charles.\r\n\r\nAccording to the release bearing Blanchard’s signature, it states based on the party\u2019s ratified constitution that the duly elected executive of\u00a0 which presently consist of Blanchard (leader), Julius Corbett (President) and Sharon Vidal (Deputy Leader), they do not recognize Alexander Bruno or Kendra Stephen as executive leaders.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Alternative Peoples’ Party wishes to advise all media outlets on island that neither Alexander Bruno nor Kendra Stephen are associated with APP and they are not authorised to speak for or on the behalf of the Alternative Peoples’ Party,\u201d she said. \u201cMessages received from them should be treated as null and void and the dissemination of information received from any of these individuals from their media outlet would be seen as malicious and a deliberate attempt to cause harm and damage to the name and image of the party.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe media statement goes on to note that despite both receiving the cease and desist letters from the party\u2019s attorneys Bruno and Stephen continue to create \u201cmischief.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn the first letter sent to Bruno on October 27, it highlights that he had tendered his resignation from the party as the Chief Strategist, however, since doing so he has continued to disseminate emails in the name of APP and have failed to return goods, including backpacks which were donated by party supporters as part of APP’s Back to School Programme.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur further instructions are that a press release dated October 22, 2021, which was signed by Kendra Stephens has been disseminated by you and\/or Miss Stephen. This press release referred to ‘Article 21 of the party’s Constitution and to a Congress which was held by you and some other individuals on October 20, 2021. As you are no doubt aware, the Constitution which you rely on has not been accepted by the Executive of APP particularly because Article 21 is contrary to the principles of democracy which guide the party,\u201d the legal document stated.\r\n\r\nIt goes on to note that APP has ratified a different constitution which was presented to the Electoral Office at the time that APP was registered and which guides APP’s actions and as such there is no provision in APP’s constitution for founding members.\r\n\r\n\u201cConsequently, the Congress of 20″ October 2021 and any other meeting which is arranged by you as a ‘Founding Member’ and which purports to make decisions for APP and any decisions which come out of these illegally constituted meetings are null and void,\u201d it declared.\r\n\r\nA similar letter sent to Stephen on December 11, points out that she has been signing several press releases on behalf of APP without the prior knowledge and consent of the present executive.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur further instructions are that you have, along with other persons, including Mr Alexander Bruno, has been organising meetings as ‘Founding Members’ of APP. You are advised that any meetings which are arranged by you and Mr Bruno as ‘Founding Members of APP’ and which purport to make decisions for APP and any decisions which come out of any of these illegally constituted meetings are null and void,\u201d the notice said, further cautioned Stephen to desist from such action.\r\n\r\nIn the most recent letter sent to Stephen dated December 14, she was further warned against disseminating any information on behalf of APP and asked to meet with Blanchard to mitigate the situation which Dominica News Online (DNO) has learnt has not been done.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhile our clients are not opposed to seeking redress from the court, they would, in the interest of the Party, prefer this matter to be resolved through dialogue with you instead of litigation so are giving you this opportunity to contact our office to arrange a meeting with them,\u201d it said.\r\n\r\n\u201cShould we or our clients not hear from you within 5 days of your receipt of this letter, they will take this to mean that you do not wish to alter your present posture, and they will have no choice but to proceed to litigation against you,\u201d the letter added.\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, the young party became embroiled in a controversy surrounding the resignation of Bruno when the party announced in a press release, that Bruno had resigned via a WhatsApp message to APP president Julius Corbett. Bruno vehemently denied that claim but mere hours later, he submitted what he said was his official resignation letter which was shared with the media.\r\n\r\nAPP officials told DNO at the time that based on a series of actions taken by Bruno within the preceding weeks, they agreed that a parting of the ways was the best option to protect the party\u2019s integrity.\r\n\r\nAttached below is the party’s constitution, and the letters sent to Stephen and Bruno.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLetter to Kendra Stephen\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t