Kpain, Nimba County – Since he began running for office in 2005, Senator Prince Y. Johnson has enjoyed the overwhelming support of voters in most towns, villages and cities across Nimba County.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
The Mano-speaking town of more than 3,000 residents has never voted for Senator Prince Y. .Johnson who endorsed the candidacy of Senator George Weah, standard bearer of the Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC).
“Helping us as a county during the civil war doesn’t mean we should support you in your political endeavor,” said Daniel Kabia, a Kpain resident.
Senator Weah is facing Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, standard bearer of the Unity Party in the run-off planned for November 7.
The two received the highest number of votes in the October 10 election to qualify for the run-off.
Considering his voting record in Kpain, Johnson’s endorsement is not likely to garner much votes for Senator Weah in the second round.
The 2017 Voter Roll Update shows that the town has 2,816 registered voters.
Sen. Prince Johnson received 278 or 12 percent of the 1,919 votes cast on Oct. 10.
VP Boakai received 931 votes or 54 percent; followed by the Liberty Party with 423 or 12 percent of the vote cast.
Some Kpain citizens said they are grateful to Johnson for his role in saving the county during the civil war, but he is not a good leader.
Bennetta Dolo, 31, voted for the Unity Party in the first round, and she plans to vote that way in the run-off election.
She is urging her fellow Nimbaians to follow the people of Kpain and not allow themselves to be used as “remote control’’ by Senator Johnson.
“I just believe we should be allowed to select our choice irrespective of the role someone played during the civil war,’’ she said.
Johnson, she said, has not done much for the people of Kpain since he became Senator in 2005.
“He has not constructed or built hand pumps for us in Kpain or sponsored any of our children through scholarship, so why we should always show him love?” she asked.
Josephus Kahn, 43, voted for the Liberty Party. He said the town is prepared to vote against Senator Weah in the run-off, regardless of Johnson’s endorsement.
The fight for the Nimba County vote is between the Mano and Gio tribes. The majority of people who voted for VP Boakai were from the Mano tribe, he said.
“We the Mano people are resolved to vote Joseph Boakai again on November 7 because we believe in our leaders who are supporting him,” he said.
Sen. Johnson acknowledged that he has not reached out to the people of Kpain or supported them, but he promised to make amends if they support Senator Weah.
“I have not been there for long but will reach them during this runoff and I am confident that I will deliver for the first time,” he said.
“The people of Kpain are loving people and I know what ever disagreement they have with me will be sorted out.”
Kpain’s vote, he said, is crucial for his support to the CDC.
In 2005, Johnson won his senatorial seat with 80.5 percent of the 265,456 votes cast in Nimba County , but Kpain 2,313 registered voters overwhelmingly rejected him.
He received 16 percent or 206 of the 2, 239 votes cast.
That same year, Johnson supported Senator Weah in the run-off election against President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of the Unity Party.
Ellen went on to win Nimba County by 75,003 or 77.1 per cent of the votes cast, while Senator Weah, who ran under the banner of the Congress for Democratic Change obtained 22, 276 or 22.9 percent of the votes cast.
In that run-off election in Kpain, Weah received 405 or 33 percent while Unity Party obtained 812 of the 1,217 vote cast.
When Johnson contested the presidency for the first time in 2011, he received 75 percent of the votes cast in the county.
In Kpain, he received 316 or 10 percent of the 3,017 votes cast.
In that election, Johnson Sirleaf received 909 votes.
Sen. Prince Johnson’s endorsement in the runoff, Johnson-Sirleaf received 90 percent of the votes in NimbaCounty . Back then, the town voted for CDC in the runoff, though the party boycotted the election.
Senator Weah will get support from two elders in Kpain – Mark Kollah and Roosevelt Ziamo.
Kollah said he’s always voted for Johnson because of what he did for Nimba during the civil war.
Senator Johnson is the “face of Nimba County and should be respected by all citizens of the county irrespective of tribal divide,’’ Dorley said.
“He suffered for us and it was time that we the citizens of Nimba County show him that respect.’’
Ziamo, 66, said he will vote for the CDC because of Johnson.
With the run-off planned for November 7, it is left to be seen whether citizens of Kpain will repeat history against Senator Johnson.