Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – With four more days to runoff election, Vice President Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party has landed support for several top officials of the Liberty Party following two endorsement programs held in Monrovia and Buchanan.
Supporters of the Liberty Party Grand Bassa County chapter and the religious community in the county endorsed the presidential bid of Vice President Joseph Boakai on Thursday, December 21.
Earlier in Monrovia, officials of the Liberty Party opted to back Boakai’s presidency few days after some executive members of the party including vice standard bearer Harrison Karnwea switched lanes to the Coalition for Democratic Change.
In the party city of Buchanan, Gabriel Smith, outgoing representative of Buchanan district, Jeh Byron Brown, outgoing representative of District four and the Liberty Party secretary general Jacob Smith were in the crowd of partisans that welcomed VP Boakai to the county.
Representatives Smith and Brown said it is time for “Liberians to think Liberia, love Liberia, and build Liberia” by redeeming Liberia from were it is heading.
“The only way your boys will not be the wives of their fellow men and women be the wives of their follow women is by voting someone who is not of that class “, they noted.
They promised to save Liberia by campaigning and voting someone who is a “mature leader”.
“Liberia is not a play ground for play boys, it is not for people who can not make their own decisions but it’s for someone with integrity, someone that can help change this Country,” Smith said.
Rev. Author Gaye, who spoke on behalf of the religious community of county, said after thorough evaluation made by them, the have concluded that Vice President Boakai is the right person now in this presidential race.
“We the religious community sees this election as poison – and amongst the two we prefer to take the jologbo (herbal substance) then the poison because the poison can kill but jologbo is very bitter but can safe live,” Gaye said.
Rev. Gaye continued: “ people always say we as church should not be apart of politics but that’s not true, we as religious leaders need to be in the forefront to direct the citizens as to which way to go.”
The standard bearers of the All Liberian Party, Benoni Urey and Alexander Cummings of the Alternative national Congress (ANC) attended the endorsement.
Benoni Urey, All Liberia Party political leader who travelled with VP Boakai to accept the endorsement, described Boakai as “Liberia’s last hope” in the upcoming poll.
“Wicked people have ruled us for too long, let those wicked people go back to where they came from because Liberians are tired of their wickedness,” he added.
“The condition of Liberia is because of the wicked people, they have said that you should remain poor and died poor, that’s why the wicked who you give your power to are supporting the wicked”, Urey asserted.
Responding to his endorsement, the Unity Party standard bearer assured a better life for Liberians.
“In less than six years of my leadership your life will improve and in the first 150 days car will no longer get stock in mud, papa will no longer stay to work but papa will now come for real under my leadership,” Boakai said.
“I am thinking about creating more jobs by attracting investors into the country under my leadership, children will learn better.”
“The Unity Party led government under my leader will be like a dream for every Liberians because Liberia can be build by Liberians but empowerment matters,” he said.
He encouraged his partisans to turnout during the election to vote the UP will be victorious.
“Today our leader broke ground for Lofa County road, that means they are leaving plenty things behind that they can’t end from now to January,” VP Boakai said.
Before heading to Buchanan, the executive committee members of LP declared support for VP Boakai during an elaborate ceremony at UP national headquarters in Congo Town, Monrovia.
The decision was made amid severe split in the Liberty Party following the decision of some key members including the Vice Standard Bearer, Harrison Karnwea, Party Chairman Benjamin Sanvee and Chief Executive Officer Musa Bility to join the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Prior to the event, there was a tussle between some officials and members of the youth wing of the Liberty Party, headed by its National Chairman, Cephas Flazamaton and some pro-Boakai within the party.
The pro-Boakai team was denied by the youth wing from hosting the planned endorsement ceremony at the Liberty Party headquarters, prompting the organizers to relocate to the UP headquarters.
In the endorsement proclamation read by the LP Secretary General Jacob Smith, the National Executive Committee in Monrovia, he averred that their decision is in line with the statement issued by the party’s standard bearer Cllr. Charles Brumskine reflecting the outcome of a broad based consultation held among the members of the party that all partisans are free to choose between the two candidates that are now in the run-off.
“Our preference for the leadership of this country during this very critical turning point in or democracy has to be defined by the best of our reasoning minds as to who can best represent our case to the outside world. Who can best define a course for the education of our children?
Our decision today is principally based upon what is good for our country, and not necessarily what somebody told us yesterday.” Smith said.
“We the majority of partisans of the Liberty Party, comprising the auxiliary groups, the women wing, the youth wing, former Legislative candidates, current Legislators, County Chairperson and Coordinators to now declare with the fullness of purpose that we endorse the presidential bid of VP Joseph Boakai,” read the statement.
In response, Vice President Boakai made a clarion call to all other well meaning Liberians to follow LP executive officials footsteps.
He described the collaboration of the Liberty Party, the All Liberian Party, True Whig Party and the Alternative National Congress as movement to “save Liberia and pledged to work with them if elected President”.
He warned the National Elections Commission to be diligent in the handling of the pending runoff elections, warning that his party and its collaborators will not condone cheating.
“I want to say to you that all of the party, we will continue to work together.”
“This is one election that you cannot steal with this kind of interest. And we will not let you to steal it,” he warned.