Careysburg – The race to select a candidate to represent the Coalition for Democratic Change in the pending Special Senatorial elections for Montsrrrado County has kicked off, with three persons vying to take the slot.
Montserrado County District #5 Representative Thomas Fallah is already leading the race following the conduct of District One convention with a total of 559 votes.
His contenders, Samuel Worzie and Ishmeal Sheriff, alias “Tamba The Mayonnaise”, are trailing with 28 and 12 votes, respectively.
CDC Spokesman Worzie, Representative Fallah of Electoral District Five, and Montsrrrado County and popular comedian Sheriff are all seeking to capture the most votes after the 17 district primaries.
The primary is being conducted on a district by district basis, beginning with District One. The primary held on Wednesday, July 22, with 715 persons out of 1,500 persons participating in the process.
The process witnessed a tough debate process in which contestant for the Montsrrrado County outlined various reasons, making then competent for the slot.
Representative Fallah informed his partisans that his developments initiatives make him best suited to represent the party in the coming election.
“I have constructed institutions which are helping to provide jobs for many and not CDCians alone. As lawmaker of district number five, we have established vocational education for those who are not able to obtain college education,” Fallah asserted.
He said the race to reclaim Montsrrrado County is not a “child’s play” and his contenders should give him the chance to compete with the incumbent, Darius Dillon of the opposition Liberty Party back by the Collaborating Political Parties.
“This race is too big for my two contenders; we need to reclaim Montserrado as CDCians, as such, we need a heavy weight like me and not someone who will be difficult to sell out there,” he added.
“Our development cut across; this is why I have already started assessment on the road in Todee, Montsrrrado County.”
For Mr. Sheriff, he believes all the three contenders are equal and, in any case, the interest of the party must be put above self.
“We are not here to praise ourselves, because, if we were to do, we could make all of the empty processes and at the end, get the seat, which we want and forget about you, but check our development records. If we can implement development on our own, while in the private sector, then we can do more in government,” Sheriff averred.
Samuel Worzie could not hold back punches. He raised a debate that electing a sitting lawmaker would put more burden of the party, adding that the government is already complaining about financial constrained.
“Electing someone who has served three term as a lawmaker and has not completed his term in officewill create another by-election, which might make government spend a lot of money,” Worzie argued.
He said it is a total rhetoric that Fallah will campaign that he wants to change the lives of citizens of Montsrrrado County through development and other means, when in fact, Fallah serves as a member of Montsrrrado County Legislative Caucus and does nothing.
“How will someone, who is a sitting representative, tell you he will foster development and road construction, when the route leading to his dwelling place is not paved, as a lawmaker who has serve for three term,” Worzie said.
He promised to focus on improving the labor sector and lobbying locally and internationally to bring development to the county.
“We need a lawmaker who will create opportunity for partisans and Liberians at large and not the noisy type,” he stressed, expressing regret that lawmakers are constructing institutions for their personal economic gains at the expense of Liberians, which must be halted by partisans through the selection of a competent candidate for the party’s slot in the upcoming elections.
The chair of the primary committee, Jefferson Koijee, Monrovia City Mayor, assured the candidates that the process will be conducted void of fraud.
“We can assure you that whosoever that carries the day will serve as the candidate of CDC in Montserrado County,” he said.
Koijee stressed that no one individual is above the ruling party and those who will not come out victoriously must support the winner of the primary. Meanwhile, the primary is expected to continue in District Number #2 on Thursday