GOMPA, Nimba County — Nimba County’s senatorial by-election scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, 2024 may turn out to be more complex than previous elections in the county where the outcomes were largely predictable.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected] & Franklin Doloquee, Contributing Writer
This time around, there are several intricacies that may leave the discerning voters thinking deeply before casting their votes.
Its complex nature stems from the key themes on which the campaigns have been centered and upon which the electorate’s decision will be based today.
The themes include ethnicity and Senator Prince Johnson’s support for the People’s Unification Party (PUP) candidate and District Five representative, Samuel Kogar.
Senator Johnson, of the Gio tribe, has scored a hat-trick of nine years at the senate — an equivalent of 27 years — and he’s regarded as the political godfather of the county.
The tribal divide
In the highly divisive senatorial by-election, the biggest issues that have dominated the campaigns loudly and in whispers are possibly not merits, capacity, or track records of a candidate, but ethnic inclinations.
The campaign colorations have depicted a tribal political fight between the Gio and the Mano — two populous tribes in the county.
There are two Mano candidates in the race — Nya Twayen of Unity Party and Armstrong Gobac Selekpoh, Independent candidate, while there are also two Gio candidates – Rep. Kogar and former Nimba senator Thomas Grupee, Independent candidate.
Rep. Kogar is in a close contest with Twayen. Discussions regarding how the Gio tribe is occupying the two senatorial slots of the county have dominated political discussions in recent weeks.
Some Mano residents argue for a division of the senatorial posts between the two major tribes, highlighting the need for balance in political representation.
Mr. Harrison Wentoe, Town Chief Wea Beeplay, electoral district five, Upper Nimba County, said: “The issue of ethnicity in our county during election is not good. Everyone should be voted fairly, voters should not vote someone because of tribe, in most cases when people vote based on tribal sentiments, there can be division in the county after election. People will not feel respected; citizens will not be treated equally. This county belongs to everyone, so citizens should vote people who are able to build and unit the County, not because of tribal sentiment that will destroy the County.”
Another resident of the county, Christen Glayee, Youth Chair, Wea Beeplay also said: “We are against ethnicity, because in Nimba whether you are from the Gio or Mano background, we are all the same. If citizens vote based on tribal sentiment our county will not be built, for example, Nimba County has produced the Vice President Jeremiah Koung who is from the Gio background. If we preach the issues of ethnicity what will become of another person who will want to become President from Nimba County if the person is not supported by the Mano settlement? In that case, the county will be divided. So the citizens of Nimba should not vote on tribal basis. Citizens voting based on tribal sentiment can bring bad feeling to the other tribe, especially the minority tribes. So we should vote beyond ethnicity.”
Twayen’s strategy?
Twayen’s obvious strategy has been visiting Gbehlay-Geh Statutory District, Zoe-Geh Statutory District, and Tappita Statutory District, populated areas owned by the Gios in an attempt to outshine Kogar and Senator Johnson.
However, Twayen’s greatest challenge could be the frenzy that has greeted Senator Johnson’s open support for Kogar because of Unity Party’s persistent stance for a War and Economic Crimes Court.
Senator Johnson is among those who could face prosecution if such a court is instituted in Liberia. He says the push for the court is a targeted move against him.
There is also the general sentiment within the Gio speaking populace that in the spirit of punishing the Unity Party and Twayen, it is fair they support Kogar whom they see as a unifier.
Proxy political fight: VP Koung vs PYJ
Senator Johnson and his estranged political godson, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, appear to be at war over their their choice of candidate in the election.
Senator Johnson supports Rep. Kogar while VP Koung has declared support for Twayen. Unlike other disagreements between Vice President Koung and Senator Johnson which are often shrouded in secrecy, the raging battle between the Nimba senator and the vice president has since snowballed into a major discussion in the county and could affect the outcome of the election.
Nimbians (natives of the county), in their characteristic manner, are deeply divided on who is right or wrong. But not so for political pundits and victims of betrayal. For them, the vice president has cut off the golden hand that fed him.
Vice President Koung’s rise in politics since 2011 owes much to Senator Johnson’s support. It was Senator Johnson’s support that paved the way for his re-election as representative in 2017, and similarly, he campaigned for Vice President Koung in 2020 to become senator at the expense of his former political ally, Thomas Grupee.
Senator Johnson in an extensive interview with a local radio station, has explained reasons behind his face-off with the vice president. Senator Johnson who initially said he didn’t want to talk about the matter later declared: “Give a man power and money, that is when you will know the person. If you have not given a man power and money, don’t say you know the person.
“He may be your friend, he may be your son, sister or mother or father. I don’t want to go into that.”