Ganta City, Nimba – Benoni Urey, presidential candidate of the opposition All Liberian Party (ALP), Saturday unveiled a lecturer of the University of Liberia, Alexander Duopo, as his running mate.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
Urey told a crowd of supporters during the party’s convention in Ganta: “After a great deal of time and thought, after a great deal of consideration and prayer, I have decided to select your own son Alexander Duopo as my vice running mate for the October 10, 2017 presidential election.
Duopo took the stage to loud cheers and music, telling the crowd: “Today I am very proud and very humbled and honored to announce that I have accepted the offer to contest with Liberia’s next president who is Benoni Urey.”
He went on to describe the ALP as the only hope and alternative for Liberians and pledged that he is “prepared to stand by Urey’s side and give this everything that I have to win the election, maintain the soul of this party and take our country back”.
The newly minted vice presidential candidate has been an active surrogate for Urey since endorsing his presidency last year, according to Urey.
Urey acknowledged that announcing a vice-presidential selection this time of the election year was “normal”, but he pointed out that “this race is, if anything, “normal.”
Duopo’s selection is the second person from Nimba County to be named as vice running mate after Liberty Party announced the former Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority Harrison Karnwea as his running mate.
There was swift response from around Ganta. Resident Fatu Dahn who is a partisan of the ALP, in a FrontPageAfrica interview, said the Duopo is not a popular character in the county and his selection would give ALP difficulty in winning Nimba.
“The name Doupo is not a household name in the county. I just don’t know why Urey selected him. For me I am not in support of him.”
Francis Gwaikolo, another resident, congratulated Duopo and said: “I am very happy to congratulate my friend Alexander on his selection to join the ALP ticket with Urey.
With the record established through advocacy in Nimba County, he has demonstrated that he is the right choice to help lead our country forward as Vice President.
“Duopo is not a known person in Nimba. This is a sad day for our party and this shows a sign of defeat for the ALP,” Elijah Simpson, partisan of Unity Party said.
Paul Sarlie, chairman of the ALP Bong County branch said: “Duopo is an experience, intellect and is dedicated to making life better for people from all walks of life will make him an enormous asset to Urey. This is a proud day for every ALP partisan.”