Recriminations, finger-pointing and blame-throwing have followed the election of the new senate leadership, with Bong County senator Jewel Howard Taylor who lost by a single vote, indicting her already indicted husband for war crimes husband, Charles Taylor, holding him responsible for instructing one of his loyalist senators to vote against her.

National Patriotic Party (NPP) Bong County Chairman Marvin Cole, who is also a staffer in Sen. Taylor’s office, claims that newly elected senator Sando Johnson, regarded as the Taylor family spokesman, was instructed from The Hague to dump Mrs. Taylor in the Senate Pro-Tempore race with Bassa County Senator Gbezongar Findley.

“Before the ballots were cast on Monday in the Senate, Bomi Sen. Sando Johnson publicly announced that he got clear instructions from Mr. Taylor not to vote for Sen. Taylor because she was the first from the opposition bloc to congratulate President Sirleaf on her re-election,” Cole said Tuesday at the Capitol Building.

Cole quoted Sen. Johnson as saying former President Taylor pointed out that his ex-wife’s action put the lives of thousands of Liberian youths, who protested the results of the presidential election at risk, and that her decision did not represent the interest of the NPP.

When contacted Wednesday at the Capitol, Bomi County Sen. Sando Johnson told this paper that before the senate vote, he announced in the senate that he would not be voting on party lines. He would vote for the best-qualified candidate, he said.

“That’s a complete lie intended for Sen. Taylor to gain popularity with President Sirleaf at my expense, because I have not spoken with Mr. Taylor, so how could I have received instructions from him not to vote for our standard bearer, and I am the vice chairman for the NPP,” he questioned.

“The reason she lost is because she did not lobby well with senate colleagues.  She should be very grateful for the 14 votes she obtained; that made the election comparative,” he said.

Other NPP executives have in recent times claimed telephone contacts with Mr. Taylor, now awaiting his verdict, for political decisions.

When he resigned as chairman emeritus from the NPP late 2011 claiming the party had no vision, Mr. Cyril Allen said Mr. Taylor had called him and begged him not to resign but (to) hang in there and act like a godfather for the party.

Mr. Allen then criticized Sen. Taylor over her decision to endorse President Sirleaf’s victory in the 8 November presidential runoff election, but said it was unilateral and represented her personal view.