Margibi County Student Union Rejects Ex-Minister McGill’s Senatorial Bid
KAKATA, Margibi County – The Margibi University Students Union (MARUSU) has expressed their opposition to the senatorial bid of U.S. sanctioned former Minister Nathaniel F. McGill.
McGill and two of President Weah’s top officials were slapped with U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions for their alleged role in public corruption in Liberia. They all resigned following sustained public pressure, but he and Bill Twehway, former Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA) have expressed their intentions to contest for senatorial positions.
By: Gerald C. Koinyeneh
Unlike Twehway who is canvassing in his home county of Rivercess, McGill abandoned his home Gbarpolu and has been roaming the corridors of Bong and Margibi Counties with what his critics have termed as ingratiating goodwill gestures.
Finally, he accepted a controversial petitioning ceremony, mostly attended by junior and senior high school students of Margibi that barely reach voting age.
However, but his quest has met a staunch resistance from residents of the county including Representative Tibelrosa Tarponweh and Senator J. Emmanuel Nuquay.
Addressing a team of journalists on Wednesday in Kakata, MARUSA said McGill has no connection with Margibi County, and as such he should not venture into the county’s politics. The group called on all citizens of the county to reject the sanctioned ex-minister senatorial bid.
The students accused the former Minister of paying and trucking individuals from Monrovia on NTA buses to stage a “borrowed crowd” petitioning event in Margibi.
“Let it be made clear that Margibi is not a political dump site for a political waste like McGill or anyone who steals from the people for personal enrichment. Margibians are people with integrity,” MARUSA warned in the statement read by its chairman Ramsay Mulbah.
Continuing the group said: “This disgraced former Minister who doesn’t have any connection with our county has been paying thousands and trucking them into our county to stage petition gathering to present like Margibians are supporting him. No! We, Margibians cannot support an international thief.
Speaking further, the group said, they are of the opinion that McGill’s alleged involvement in corruption in Liberia is a major reason why the pavement of 7.8-kilometer road and the speedy rebuilding of the CH.
“Rennie Hospital promised by President Weah have not been implemented. Liberia has suffered for too long because of official misconduct. The university students’ body of this county calls on all solidarity forces to join ranks as we collectively pursue this struggle to a logical conclusion.”
The Union also called on the National Elections Commission to not accept a “dime from McGill and the others who were sanctioned and are having the ambition of contesting the 2023 general election”.
The US Treasury said, in slapping McGill with sanction said, during his tenure in government, McGill received bribes from potential investors, and accepted kickbacks for steering contracts to companies in which he had interest. He also manipulated public procurement process in order to award multi-million-dollar contracts to companies in which he has ownership, including by abusing emergency procurement process to rig contract bids and other offences.
Under the sanction, all properties and interests in properties of the three officials in the US were blocked and reported to the US Treasury, while people who engage in any transactions with the officials may be subject to sanctions as well.