Zwedru – Aggrieved supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah have staged a peaceful protest in Grand Gedeh County, demanding the unconditional and immediate departure from the county of Montserrado County Representative Yekeh Korlubah.
The incident occurred during the early morning hours of Thursday, before the B-2 Guest House in Zwedru.
Representative Kolubah, who is a strong critic of President George Manneh Weah, is currently in Grand Gedeh following the climax of a trip to Maryland County along with his political leader, Alexander Cummings, prior to the celebration of Liberia’s 173rd Independence anniversary.
Mr. Cummings is the Chairman of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), and the standard bearer of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC).
The aggrieved protesters, mostly youths, were seen chanting anti-slogans and using profanities against Representative Kolubah.
They claimed that since the inception of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah, which they overwhelmingly voted for during the 2017 general and presidential elections, the Montserrado County lawmaker has been in the constant habit of using invectives against the Liberian leader.
In a live video from the county, the aggrieved residents were seen before the guest house where Representative Kolubah and others, including Mr. Cummings were lodging.
The protesters accused Representative Kolubah of ‘killing’ innocent people during the warring days in Liberia, and allegedly engaging into pre-campaigning activities.
They were prevented from moving closer to the compound of the guest house to effectuate what they called ‘citizens’ arrest’ following the intervention of officers of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), and the Liberia National Police respectively.
The incident which lasted for several hours stalled normal working and commercial activities in some parts of Zwedru.
Commercial and private vehicles drivers and owners took safety of their properties by reneging to ply the streets, while marketers, including shops and stores owners closed their businesses for fear of losing their goods to looters.
The situation compelled the lively Zwedru City to appear like a ghost town for most of the morning hours.
When contacted via telephone, Representative Kolubah promised to adequately respond to the incident in the soonest possible time.
He was escorted by few of his supporters who were on the scene and driven away to an unknown destination.
For sometimes now, Representative Kolubah has been very vocal against President Weah and his government.
He has persistently accused the Liberian Chief Executive of being allegedly “insensitive to the plights of the Liberian people using stolen tax payers’ monies to construct his properties, including duplexes on the Roberts Field Highway, and his 9th Street Sinkor residence, and conniving with Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah and Nathaniel McGill to steal US25 million intended to mop up the country’s economy and having a stake in the missing L$16 billion”.
But the office of the President has denied all of the allegations made by the Montserrado County lawmaker against the Liberian leader.
It remains unclear whether or not the protesters where sponsored to rage a ‘citizen arrest’ action against Rep. Kolubah.
But the incident occurred barely few months to the conduct of the much anticipated December 8, 2020 senatorial elections.
Meanwhile, the Indomitable National Youth Congress (ANC) has condemned with utter dismay what it describes as the unruly behavior of some thugs, hooligans and hoodlums who were hired by CDC government officials and trucked into the county from Monrovia to demand that the political leader of the ANC, Rep. Kolubah and other high ranking opposition leaders “immediately leave Grand Gedeh County.”
In a statement the youths said: the act of violence clearly contravenes Article 13(a) of the Liberian Constitution which states, “Every person lawfully within the Republic shall have the right to move freely throughout Liberia, to reside in any part thereof and to leave therefrom subject however to the safeguarding of public security, public order, public health or morals or the rights and freedoms of others.”
The woeful, undemocratic, appalling, dreadful and repulsive situation being witnessed in Grand Gedeh, the ANC youths averred, does not only remind us of our bitter past as a people, but it shows to Liberians and the world at large that Mr. Weah is either unwilling or unable to execute the duties and responsibilities assigned to the office of president.
The ANC youths added: “While we (ANC/CPP) conduct ourselves responsibly and lawfully, we want to unequivocally condemn and denounce the distasteful and unacceptable circumstance of lawlessness displayed by the Coalition for Democratic Change hired mobsters. And we call on the government of Liberia to immediately arrest the situation to avoid setting a very dangerous roadmap that would threaten the peace we have all worked tirelessly to strengthen over the years.”
Similarly, the youths is urging ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations, the United States Embassy near Monrovia and all development partners of Liberia to closely monitor the happenings in Grand Gedeh County and also pressure Mr. Weah to safeguard the peace and security of Liberia by ensuring that the rights of every Liberian citizen is protected as enshrined in the Liberian Constitution.