By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr in Margibi
Dr. Lester Zomatic Tenny has alleged that the rationality behind Nathaniel Falo McGill’s nomination on the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) senatorial ticket was to please President George Manneh Weah.
Tenny, a stalwart of the ruling party, claimed that the CDC’s National Executive Committee was never comfortable with that arrangement.
McGill, a former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, lost the top job after the U.S. placed sanctions against him and two other officials of the Weah regime.
There have been rumors that President Weah had ordered McGill and the U.S.-sanctioned Liberian former National Port Authority (NPA) Managing Director Bill Teah Twehway, to be featured on the CDC party ticket.
Despite being designated by the U.S. for their involvement in alleged rampant public corruption, the two former officials are vying for senatorial seats separately in Margibi and Ricer Cess Counties on the CDC ticket in the ensuing 10 October 2023 elections.
“I am most concerned [about] the county Margibi. I am from the ruling party and we decided to put in the race a U.S.-sanctioned [individual], Nathaniel McGill,” said Dr. Tenny.
“I was not comfortable with that arrangement. The National Executive Committee was never comfortable with that arrangement. The arrangement was only to please our standard bearer,” Dr. Tenny alleged.
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According to him, the unfortunate part of the decision is that he lives in Margibi and it is not possible that “a Dr. Tenny will live in Margibi then a Nathaniel McGill wins.”
Though he didn’t explain the details of the decision, Dr. Tenny recently warned Margibians against electing McGill.
He said the future of the country is not just in the hands of the CDC and President Weah, but all Liberians.
As such, Tenny said the decision they will make will be the decision they will live with for more than six years.
He added that “even though Nathaniel McGill will be on the ticket of the CDC, I will rigorously campaign against him.”
He called McGill a national thief who allegedly ruined the country for the last five years.
Dr. Tenny asked Liberians if they wonder why no auditors [are] dying in their cars anymore since McGill left government.
Sources from the CDC say after Jefferson Koijee and some officials of the party disagreed to feature the sanctioned officials, Nathaniel McGill ran to President Weah and cried bitterly to be featured on the CDC in the presence of Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe, Prot-temp Albert Chie and Maritime Commissioner Lenn Eugene Nagbe.
Sources say the officials who were at that meeting had suggested to President Weah that it would have been a betrayal to deny Mr. McGill.
They, according to the sources, threatened to withdraw their support from the president if he did not approve McGill.
Our sources further explain that Pro-temp Chie said he would have better contested as an independent candidate in protest for McGill ‘s denial on the CDC ticket, had Weah not listened to them.
The sources also claimed that the president was under a very serious duress by some other top CDC officials to allow McGill and Tweahway to run on the party ticket.
