By Emmanuel wise Jipoh
Ruling CDC Montserrado County electoral district#2 Representative Jimmy W. Smith has resigned from the ruling Coalition after losing the primary.
Rep Smith lost the CDC primary on Saturday, July 1, 2023, to fellow partisan Kokolo Borvo 382 to 21 votes in the ongoing CDC primary to elect candidates that will compete on the Coalition’s ticket in the pending October 10th elections.
In a letter addressed to CDC National Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu, the defeated District#2 Representative disclosed he was suspending his membership for alleged betrayal of agreement between the standard bearer, President George Weah, CDC Legislative Caucus and the party.
He also disclosed that it was agreed upon that all seated CDC lawmakers would have been a consensus candidate or elected on white ballot as a reciprocation for their endorsement of President Weah on February 4, 2023.
Rep. Smith’s letter to Chairman Morlu partially reads:
“Dear Mr. Morlu:
I hope this letter finds you well. It is with mixed emotions that I write to suspend my membership with the Congress for Democratic Change, CDC. Over the years, I have been an active member, dedicated to promoting the values and principles that our party stands for. However, recent events have left me deeply convinced that my continue association with the party is no longer tenable.”
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The District #2 lawmaker, who has been hugely criticized for his underdevelopment in the district by constituents, said the CDC breached the agreement, which was demonstrated on June 13, 2023, at the party’s headquarters, when at least 56 ruling party lawmakers of the 54th Legislature endorsed the re-election bid of President Weah.
He describes the CDC’s action as deeply disappointing and has eroded his faith to participate in its activities, writing “The perennial power struggles, internal conflicts/bad block towards me, and disregard for constructive dialogue have undermined the very essence of democracy that our party claims to champion.” Editing by Jonathan Browne
