Monrovia – With the waves of activities as the campaign for the 2017 elections begin; some political pundits believe that Vice President Joseph Boakai support base seems to be shrinking gradually – something the ruling party believe is not true.
Report by Al Varney Rogers, [email protected]
With the National Election Commission release of its final listing of those vying for representative seats and the presidency, revealing names of those who initially started trumpeting Boakai presidential ambition are now on the ticket of different political party other than the Unity Party.
The listing leave many to wonder whether the names of staunch members of the ruling party and supporters of Vice President Joseph Boakai appearing under a newly established political party Coalition for Liberia’s Progress (CLP) is an offspring of the Unity Party apparently meant to maintain a dominance in the lower house, or it might represent a decline in the support for Vice President Boakai presidential bid.
Coalition for Liberia’s Progress (CLP) is considered a safe haven for appointed officials whose fate was at the mercy of the Supreme Court.
In 2011, Alexander A. Suah Sr. ran on the Unity Party ticket and served as an assistant Minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs but is now on the ticket of the Coalition for Liberia’s Progress vying for the Montserrado district five seat, current Minister of Gender Julia Duncan -Cassell who for months has been trumpeting Veep Boakai’s presidential bid and Bong County Superintendent Selena Mappy Pulson who was allegedly coerced by chiefs to support vice president Boakai, something she denied, will not be a Unity Party candidate in Bong County.
And Deputy Minister of Information Andrew Tehmeh of Bong district seven 7 is also not a Unity Party Candidate for the representative seat.
Recently, Vice President Boakai has received unprecedented endorsements across the country before naming his running mate.
After naming his second man the narrative seems to be changing, so whether those endorsements are intact is something that has to pass the test of the campaign.
It is also reported that Findley is about to exit the Unity Party, his move comes in the aftermath of the Vice President’s decision to select Emmanuel Nuquay.
Findley sudden reversal is likely to deal a major blow to the ruling party which is said to have been relying on Findley to help capture a sizeable number of voters in the Bassa belt and put Brumskine off course.
The Assistant Secretary General of Unity Party Mo Ali said those candidates still remain strong supporters of the vice president presidential bid.
“They are still strong supporters, today Selena Mappy Pulson was with us, both Mappy Polson and Duncan Cassell are still in the forefront of the Vice President campaign,” Ali said.
As for the news of Findley leaving, the Assistant Secretary General of Unity Party said the party has not receive any communication regarding Findley exiting the party.
“We don’t know about that, we only read the news in FrontPage Africa, consulting his family does not mean he is leaving and we have not receive any of such communication,” Ali said.
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