Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – One of the prominent members of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Grand Bassa Chapter has expressed a vote of no confidence in the party’s county leadership ahead of the county primary.
Albert Saab, who is a former representative candidate of Electoral district three in the Grand Bassa County, describes the leadership as “bias and does not mean well for the party in the county”.
In 2011, Saab contested on the CDC’s ticket and came third with 2,469 votes losing to first place incumbent Gabriel Smith who won with 6,818.
He is believed to be an influential figure amongst the party’s membership in county – mainly in the vote-rich port city of Buchanan.
Speaking during an interview with a community radio stations in the county, Mr. Saab claimed he is a major contributor to the party in the county because of its vision which he believes can help deliver the Bassa people and Liberians at large.
However, he’s accusing the chapter leadership of “single-handedly running the party” something he said is constraining him to stop working with them.
But the local chairman has termed Saab’s accusations as false and only meant to “tarnish the good reputation of the party in the county due to fear that he might loss the primary”.
Saab accused the CDC Bassa leadership of “disrespectfully” endorsing Matthew Fairplay Joe, arguing that Mr. Joe has just joined the party.
He sees the alleged selection or endorsement of ‘newcomer Joe’ as “a slap in his face”, while further describing the aspirant as “not competent enough to replace the incumbent lawmaker who is now seeking a third term”.
Saab has threatened to boycott the primary over fears that it will be stage manage, leaving room to contest as an independent candidate.
The decision to contest as an independent, he says, is a means of preventing the county from electing a “booboo lawmaker” – a local parlance use to describe an incompetent legislator.
He then called on executives of the Coalition for Democratic Change of which CDC is a part and heads to remove the entire local county leadership if the party should make progress in the county at the October polls.
Reacting, the chairman of the CDC Grand Bassa chapter says a mandate, which is in accordance with the party’s constitution, from its headquarters in Monrovia calls for the endorsement of any aspirant who has the most popularity in a constituency.
Giving that person the most likely chance to contest on the party’s ticket, the Chairman said.
Confirming the endorsement of Matthew Joe because of the “huge population he has that can help the party”, Chairman Moses Haynes disclosed that during many secret meetings with party officials, Saab was dissuaded from contesting in the upcoming election but he refused.
He however assured that the two contenders for the party ticket will go to a primary where the winner will subsequently become the candidate of the CDC in the district.
In November of 2016 the Congress for Democratic Change or CDC political leader George Weah announced that his party had formed a coalition with the former ruling party of jailed ex-President Charles Taylor and the newly formed party of indicted former House Speaker, Alex Tyler.
Since the formation of the coalition, dissatisfaction of some of its members prompted several exits from the party.
Prominent amongst them were firebrand intellectual, Kanio Bai Gbala and Former Liberia Ambassador to the United States, Nathaniel Barnes.
Some accused the party of making the registration fee to contest the primaries too exorbitant, while others alleged that the standard bearer, Senator George Weah, selfishly preferred non-partisans to contest on the party’s ticket.
With the ongoing situation between the leadership of the party’s chapter in vote-rich Grand Bassa and its seemingly popular and prominent member, the obvious impact would lose some votes if mitigation fails, observers asserts.
Report by Elton Wrionbee Tiah, FPA Contributor