MONROVIA – Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, the presidential aspirant of the Liberian People’s Party, Thursday said he won’t contest as running-mate to any would-be presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential elections.
Recently, the social media Facebook has been inundated with posts insinuating that Gongloe was poised to contest as running-mate to Joseph Boakai in 2023 after his Unity Party withdrew from the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) merger.
The former Vice President who now heads the Unity Party as standard bearer announced the withdrawal of his party from the opposition conglomeration which has been embattled for about a year now.
The CPP was formed by the four major opposition political parties with the sole purpose of amalgamating forces to unseat President George Weah in the 2023 presidential election.
Many believe that the crumpling of the CPP has made smoothened Pres. Weah’s chances of victory in next year’s election.
With the breakaway, many supporters of the Unity Party believe that with Cllr. Gongloe who stands tall as an integrity icon and happens to hail from the second vote rich county in the country – Nimba – on the ticket of the Unity Party along with Mr. Boakai, victory will come handy.
As part of the push for such consideration, flyers of Cllr. Gongloe and Mr. Boakai surfaced on social media, particularly Facebook and that received the likes and positive comments from many on social media.
But Gongloe on Thursday dismissed the rumours, describing himself as a “better person” prepared to redeem the country from its current nightmare under soccer legend George Weah.
I would back off from the presidential race if any of the would-be presidential candidates are better than me in fighting corruption, Gongloe said.
“I am a founding member of the Liberian People’s Party and I am wooing members of the party to elect me as the standard bearer of the party. Hence, as an ordinary member of the party, I have no legal authority to enter into any formal relationship with a standard bearer of another party,” he said.
He said any attempt to relinquish his presidential ambition would be a disappointment to many Liberians both home and abroad who petitioned him to contest the presidency.
He said political collaborations, alliances, mergers, cooperation and other forms of associations are normally between or among political parties, and not individuals, adding that unless they are independent candidates.
He, however, said he will only relinquish his quest if he finds a candidate who holds a higher integrity profile than he does.
“I have said it many times that if I find any presidential aspirant in 2023 with a better track record of anti-corruption than I have, I will be honest to myself and loyal to my country and say I am not going to run. I am going to run that person’s campaign. In the end for me it is Liberia. I am doing this to do justice to my conscience and my country,” he said.
Cllr. Gongloe asked Liberians and all those frustrated with “poor governance, poverty, and corruption” in the Weah administration to put the task of defeating them above all other ambitions.
Gongloe presented himself as a leader who would govern by the rules in a country ‘wracked by poverty, corruption, and unemployment.’