Harbel, Firestone – Former House Speaker and immediate past Director General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), James Emmanuel Nuquay, has accepted a petition from residents of Margibi County to contest the December 8 Special Senatorial elections on the ticket of the People’s Unification Party (PUP).
Report by Yawah Y. Jaivey, Contributing Writer
Nuquay, who on July 31 tendered in his resignation as director-general of the LCAA, has been under pressure from residents of the county who had requested him to quit his post and embark on his senatorial ambition.
The former House Speaker is making a return to politics after his loss when he contested as vice standard bearer to the standard bearer of Unity Party, Joseph Nyumah Boakai during the 2017 presidential elections. Before that election, Nuquay served as two-time representative of District Five in Margibi County.
In a petition statement presented to Nuquay on Monday, August 24, on behalf of supporters of PUP, Dr. Henric Marcus Speare said, “we the youths, elders, traditional leaders, religious community, women organizations, students and citizens of lower Margibi County petition you Mr. James Emmanuel Nuquay to ably represent us in the 54th National Legislature”.
Dr. Speare noted that cities, municipalities, Chiefdom, clans, towns and villages in the lower region of the county are not exempted from the petition statement.
Continuing, Dr. Speare added: “We have over the years observed your interest in the people of Liberia through tangible and meaningful contributions and your valuable services rendered the people of Liberia and Margibi County in particular and Liberia in general”.
“In recognition of the fact of the new political era of Liberia, the people of Margibi County deserved and need a new, better, accessible, intellectual and generous political leader of earnest and decent character. Haven noticed your administrative, developmental and political competence since your ascendency in 2005; we request that you accept our request”. Dr. Speare appealed.
Responding, Nuquay said despite his defeat as running mate to Boakai in 2017, residents of the county still regard him as their leader.
Nuquay believed that the request to him to contest the senatorial elections is being triggered by his ‘remarkable work’ during his two-term as representative of district in Margibi County.
“Our development initiatives speak for us; our developments remain unmatched, but fellow citizens that wouldn’t have been possible without the able leadership of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,” Nuquay claimed amidst applause from the cheering crowd.
Nuquay intimated that decision of the people of lower Margibi County to support him is based on their abiding faith and commitment to the division and separation of power in Margibi County, adding that their decisions speak about their commitment to upholding the tradition of the county.
Mr. Nuquay: “As you are aware, the formation of Margibi County brought together two territories-former Marshall Territory and former Gibi territory. The founding fathers of Margibi established that since each county is entitled to two senators under our constitution; there should always be one senator from the former Marshall territory which is lower Margibi and one senator from the former Gibi territory which is upper Margibi”.
Nuquay pointed out that is with such arrangement that the appointment of the two highest positions (County Superintendent and Assist Superintendent for Development) in the local governing structure of Margibi has and up till present being equally distributed by the two regions.
“Just as you have chosen me amongst many qualified sons and daughters of upper Margibi, I will nothing to betray your trust and confidence. I want you to be assured that as you have set the pace for me to be elected from upper Margibi as your next senator; I similarly will lead the charge in 2023 for one of your sons or daughters that you will present to us to be easily elected in 2023 as our senator”. Nuquay vowed.