By: E. Geedahgar Garsuah, Sr.
MONROVIA: Nimba County’s charismatic Senator, Prince Y. Johnson, alias “PYJ” has disclosed that his recent decision to turn over the political mantle of authority of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) party to Nimba County Senator, Jeremiah Koung, is a calculated attempt aimed at ensuring that incumbent President George Weah is not re-elected in October this year.
“That is why we went to a convention and put up our standard bearer to contest in 2023,” Senator Johnson noted.
The newest declaration of Senator Johnson, who is also referred to as the “God-Father of Nimba” comes after he recently relinquished MDR’s standard bearer position and subsequently ushered in Senator Jeremiah Koung.
Koung is believed by many political pundits to be Senator Johnson’s protégé.
Senator Johnson, a former feared warlord, disclosed that the new position of the MDR party is to halt all forms of support to the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), headed by retired soccer icon, George Manneh Weah, as President of Liberia as the October Presidential and Legislative elections fast approach.
With his strong political influence in Nimba, Senator Johnson’s official endorsement of the then opposition party, CDC, during the 2017 presidential run-off involving ex-vice president, Joseph Nyuma Boakai and George Weah, was a major factor which led Weah to his first presidential victory.
But, barely nine months to the much-heralded 2023 national elections, the Nimba County’s “King-Maker” noted that the MDR will not lend its political blessing to CDC this time around.
According to Senator Johnson, the MDR party, organized by him some years ago, will put forth a presidential candidate during the 2023 polls.
He further revealed that the reason behind his latest decision against Weah and his ruling CDC is based on the fact that the CDC-led administration has not lived up to its side of the political arrangement both parties reached during the 2017 presidential run-off.
He added that the decision to part ways with incumbent President Weah is tied to the CDC government’s dismal performance in the governance of the country.
“And the fact that investors are not coming and nothing is being done politically to encourage them to come for nearly six years now, and lot of mischievous things are happening under our President’s watch, we are not happy,” Senator Johnson asserted.
The ex-warlord maintains that the MDR is cutting off all political ties with the CDC for President Weah’s alleged failure to obey several terms and conditions stipulated in the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached between both parties.
According to him, President Weah’s refusal to honor the political agreement which, among others things, spelled out that some managing director and ministerial positions in the CDC led government would be made available for appointment of qualified citizens from Nimba County.
According to the controversial ex-warlord and now Senator, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications position has been the only senior ministerial job awarded to Nimba County through Presidential appointment contrary to the intent and spirit of the previous agreement involving Weah’s CDC and MDR party.
He further accused President Weah of practicing nepotism on grounds that nearly everyone in the cabinet is either from Grand Kru County, President Weah’s home county or from the Southeastern belt of the country.
Senator Johnson: “The Nimba people are not happy that the Legislative caucus does not have access to the President. We met him two to three days ago and told him what was on our mind. We appealed to him to change the system of government. His government is focused on the southeast, his government is promoting sectionalism, and the Constitution supports nationalism. All in all, we are not happy. We, as a county and as a people, this is where we are,” the senator declared.
Senator Johnson added that another major reason for discontinuing his support to President Weah is that his government miserably failed to attract much-needed international investments to Liberia and create jobs for the citizenry.
The senator noted that the only post-war company still operating in Nimba is Arcelor Mittal. While the company has its employment policy, he noted that it has failed to prioritize natives of the county for placement to key positions in the company. And worst of all, the Government has failed to remit the county’s social development funds in the tune of over US$5 million that has already been paid by the company, a statement that has not been independently confirmed.
He said: The only post conflict company that came to Liberia and is still working is Mittal Steel. Nimba has nobody there. The company is in our county but cannot employ our people, and US$1.5 million supposed to come to us annually. Government owes us US$5.5 million within the last five years. The money is paid in Government’s account. We cannot access it. So, the Nimba people are very unhappy.”
He further accused the government of not undertaking major development projects in Nimba; noting that President Weah has refused to relocate the G.W. Harley Hospital in Sanniquellie from near the train track. The hospital suffers from the noise and vibration cause by the trains, endangering patients’ lives.
He added that unlike the southeastern region where city mayors and chiefs and elders are on government’s payroll, the local officials in Nimba have been denied employment opportunities.
Despite his participation in the Liberian civil war that claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 people, predominately women, children and the elderly, Senator Johnson continues to enjoy huge support from his native votes-rich county of Nimba.
He is one of Liberia’s longest serving post-war lawmakers and will be opting for another nine-year mandate comes October 2023.
His pronouncement comes as President Weah is expected to travel to Nimba to inspect development projects, as well as, test his political popularity in the county.
However, Senator Johnson, a former Commander of the erstwhile rebel group, Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), an offshoot of the defunct armed group, National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), sternly warned that the President’s planned visit to Nimba will not be a good idea until the people’s problems are addressed.
“He cannot go to Nimba for petitioning program when these issues in Nimba have not been resolved. The land dispute, and Cllr. Gbeisay’s commissioned after he has been confirmed but the President has refused to commission him. The president will not go to Nimba until certain issues are solved,” he declared.
2021, the United States imposed sanctioned on the Nimba County ‘god father’ for political corruption.
