Sanoyea District – Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor on Friday, August 2, said she would support any credible candidate produced by the people of Lower Bong for the senatorial election in 2020.
Speaking at the first graduation ceremony of the Kerkula Giddings Senior High School when she served as guest speaker, VP Howard-Taylor said she would support any credible candidate of Lower Bong due to the fact that the two senators should not come from the same region of the county.
Incumbent Senator Henry Yallah, whose nine years will be up for grasp, hails from Kokoyah in Upper Bong, while Senator Henrique Tokpa, Howard-Taylor’s successor, is a native of Suakoko District, Upper Bong County, too.
The Vice President argued that for the sense of equity and fairness, it should be the turn of people of Lower Bong to produce the next senator.
“I am going to support a credible senatorial candidate from this region of the county. So, I want to appeal to the people of Lower Bong to look inward and produce a credible candidate, who is trusted and tested and will deliver for the betterment of the county,” she said.
Already, there are over four persons who have declared their ambitions to contest the 2020 senatorial seat – all of whom are from Upper Bong County.
They are Benedict Sagbeh (Kpaii District), Dorothy Tooman (Jorquelleh District #2), Jeremiah Sulunteh (Suakoko District), Mohammed Nasser (Jorquelleh District #3), and incumbent Senator Henry Yallah (Kokoyah District).
There are rumors that Deputy House Speaker Prince Moye of Jorquelleh District (Upper Bong) and former Agriculture Minister, Dr. Mogana Flomo (Panta District, Upper Bong County) could join the race following their ongoing consultations across the county.
Former Bong County Superintendent Selena Polson-Mappy, a resident of Totota in Lower Bong County, who had announced her candidacy to contest the race in 2020, is said to have endorsed Rep. Moye’s rumored senatorial election.
How crucial is 2020 election in Bong?
The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) will be looking to make amendments in Bong County in the 2020 senatorial race having lost the seat to Dr. Henrique Tokpa during the 2018 by-election.
Tokpa was overwhelmingly supported by the four opposition collaborating parties, namely the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Unity Party (UP), Liberty Party (LP) and the All Liberian Party (ALP).
Howard-Taylor’s influence in Bong politics can’t be overemphasized. She won two elections as senator of the county (2005 and 2014) before going on to become Vice President.
In 2011, she influenced the election of her former staffer, Edward Karfiah as Representative of Suakoko District. In 2017, she stamped her influence in Jorquelleh District with the election of her former administrative assistant, Marvin Cole, as Representative. According to local political pundits, whoever she supports in 2020 senatorial election could take a toll on her influence in the county – negative or positive.