Gbarnga, Bong County – Since the released of the embarrassing audio recording which led to the suspension of Bong County Superintendent Madam Esther Walker, there have been concerns about the source of the leak.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected]
Up to now, the individual who did the recording is unknown and the intent and purpose of recording and its subsequent release to the public remain a mystery as the wave of denials and contradictions continue to surface.
According to the Superintendent Administrative Assistant, Josephus Dormeyan, whose name was repeatedly mentioned in the audio, the conversation took place in the midst of five persons, namely: Amos Barbu, Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor County Coordinator, Joseph Tokpa, a staunch supporter of VP Taylor, Jefferson Gbaryan, Service Center Coordinator and a man only identified as Dumoe, chief of protocol to the superintendent.
Hidden motive?
Dormeyan, in his latest revelation, wondered why other voices are not in the leaked audio when the conversation between them and the superintendent was interactive.
“When I listened to the audio, I knew that people had different intent because I didn’t hear all of the other things we said during the conversation,” Dormeya said.
Walker, Barbu, and Tokpa have been staunch supporters of VP Taylor. Their support goes as far back as 2005 when Howard-Taylor, the former first lady, declared her intentions to contest the senate race in the county.
Meanwhile, Dumoe has been a loyal supporter of Walker since her days as an aid to the Vice President.
For Gbanyan, he has forged a strong bond with Madam Walker since his unexpected rise as coordinator of the County Service Center.
Strained Relationship Before Audio Leakage
There seems to have been a growing sense of intrigue and infighting between Madam Walker and Vice President Taylor, with what was clearly a subsisting family relationship before the damning audio surfaced.
Prior to the leakage of the audio, FrontPage Africa gathered that Madam Walker and the Vice President had had a strained relationship since last year’s senatorial by-election.
Madam Walker reportedly reneged on endorsing the candidacy of CDC candidate Marvin Cole, a decision that reportedly angered the Vice President.
Besides, the decision by Madam Walker to form a strong bond with opposition lawmakers in the county in a bid to foster development is said to have angered the Vice President, according to sources closed to the Vice President.
To compound the situation, Madam Walker was absent at the latest bestowment of the traditional title on the Vice President, which has sparked uproar between the Vice President and the President.
Supporters of the Vice President have said the absence of the Superintendent sent a clear message that the rift was visible and called on Walker to “behave”.
Grace Kerkulah, a supporter of the Vice President, last week posted on Facebook, writing: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Madam Walker.”
One week on, accusing fingers are now pointed at the VP supporters for being responsible for the leaked audio.
So how did the audio leak to the public? Answers are not forthcoming.
Meet those who were present during the conversation:
Amos D. S. Barbu:
Barbu has been accused of using fake accounts on the social media to spew venoms at political opponents who criticize the Vice President.
In March last year, District Four lawmaker Robert Womba accused Barbu, a 2017 graduate of Cuttington University, of using a fake account to abuse him because he had endorsed the candidacy of Dr. Henrique Tokpa during the by-election, a charge Barbu denied.
Since the audio went viral people of the county have considered Barbu as the prime suspect owing to his record on the social media.
One caller who phoned in on Super Bongese breakfast show Monday said Barbu should be held liable for secretly recording the superintendent.
“This is a man who is always in the habit of getting at people who differ with the Vice President on the social media. I am not convinced that Barbu is innocent of this,” the caller said.
Victor Tokpa:
Tokpa has admitted that he was one of five persons present during the conversation but denied doing the recording. Like Barbu, Tokpa is a die-hard fanatic of the Vice President.
In a Facebook post during the 2017 presidential election, Tokpa posted: “I can do anything for my Jewel Howard-Taylor bisnay (business).”
His bravery to take on anyone who opposes the Vice President – whether on Facebook or physically – has endeared him to the Vice President. Tokpa is one person who many in Bong County believed is linked to the leaked audio, but he has rejected the claim.
One caller said: “It was a deal between Tokpa and Barbu to bring the superintendent down. That, I am very sure.”
But Derrick Benson, another caller who participated on the show said he was unconvinced about Tokpa’s alleged role in the leakage of the audio.
“I think Tokpa is innocent. I don’t think his loyalty for the Vice President can go to that level.”
Josephus Dormeyan:
These are not the best of times for the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant. His loyalty for Madam Walker, according to him, goes beyond his function.
Dormeyan is still in ire as to how the recording, which he said was done in the midst of five persons, didn’t have the responses from other people who were present during the conversation. He is convinced that the recording was edited.
“From what I heard, the audio was edited,” he alleges. I can swear, I don’t know anything about the audio how it leaked.”
But his confession doesn’t seem enough to convince the public about his reported involvement considering that his name was the center of the discussion.
But he told FrontPage Africa that he has faced a tough time since the recording leaked.
“I have not been able to leave my house; I have been accused by everyone,” he said.
Dormeyan is one of Superintendent Walker’s trusted confidants. Since her ascendency, she has forged a good partnership with the Dormeyan.
But critics are unconvinced, arguing that the pair relationship is not enough to vindicate him for the fact he is a staunch member of the former ruling Unity Party.
Jefferson Gbaryan:
As As chairman of the opposition Liberty Party in Bong County, Gbaryan stands accused to be a “spy” at the Gbarnga Administration Building.
Since the leakage of the audio Friday, some citizens are saying that Gbaryan, whose name was mentioned once in the audio, was paid to blackmail the Coalition for Democratic Change in the country.
In fact, he has been accused of receiving US$1,000 from the opposition to secretly record the superintendent. However, Gbaryan has fend-off the speculations, terming it was malicious.