-Ahead of CPP’s December 5 launch
Main opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Montserrado County Senatorial candidate Abraham Darius Dillon warns here that the CPP’s campaign launch due 5 December should not be disturbed by security forces here, demanding the same peaceful treatment accorded the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) when it launched its campaign Saturday, 21 November.
Mr. Dillon took to social media Tuesday, 24 November saying “we love it that Blue Day went without incidents, we didn’t see heavily armed Police and other security officers deployed at every street corner to intimidate people.”
Mr. Dillon who in 2019 beat the CDC’s Paulitta Wie in the senatorial race, is facing the party’s new choice, this time incumbent Montserrado District 5 Representative Thomas Fallah and several others in a heated political battle.
Dillon’s caveat to the securities appears to throw light on the opposition’s skepticism that the state security forces here are lenient with the ruling establishment, but at the same time appearing to be allegedly tough on government critics.
He says on social media that the ruling CDC’s campaign launch was peaceful and wasn’t disrupted by the Liberian National Police (LNP), adding that the “CDC Blue Tsunami” had no police disturbance and diverting of the flow of human traffic.
He notes that the people who were wearing the blue and red berets were allowed to freely move about and pass public routes as they wished to.
Mr. Dillon continues that there was no harassment and intrusions during the campaign launch of CDC’s senatorial candidate Representative Thomas Fallah.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
“Now comes December 5, our Pre-Victory Day! Liberians and rest of the world will be watching to see the [behavior] and conduct of the Police and other State Security agencies toward our supporters,” Dillon says.
Having experienced attacks in the past from rivals while on his community tour in Clara Town and other parts of Montserrado ahead of official campaign activities, Dillon frowns on elections violence and calls on the police to be peaceful on the day of his campaign launch.
Recently the streets of Monrovia were locked down as the ruling party CDC candidate Thomas Fallah launched his campaign. Supporters of the ruling establishment came from all over Montserrado, wearing blue and red berets as they all assembled at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville.
Mr. Fallah of Montserrado District 5 is currently serving his third term as representative, but the ruling CDC picked him as its candidate to take the senate seat at the pools due December.
In a related development, hours after the CDC launched its campaign, a surprising political scene occurred in Barnerville when hundreds of motorcyclists surrounded Senator Dillon’s vehicle, hoping to speak with him and to pledge their support to his re-election bid.
However, the motorcyclists in their jubilant mood escorted Mr. Dillon’s wife to her residence in Barnerville upon noticing that she was the occupant of the vehicle and not Dillon himself.
The group of motorcyclists through their spokesman Wilfred Gayflor, underscored that they went at Dillon’s residence to pledge their support to his re-election bid.
According to him, Senator Dillon was chosen as by the ‘independent motorcyclists’ as their candidate for the political show-down on 8 December following a recent meeting.
“We are here today to inform you Honorable Senator that we don’t want anything, money, but rather [we] want you. We want you because of your advocacy for the masses and not self,” Gayflor says.
He assures that the cyclists are strong and prepared to campaign for Mr. Dillon in every part of the county to galvanize additional support from undecided voters. The scene was also characterized by chanting of slogans and dancing as Senator Dillon looked on at the crowd in awe.
Responding to the motorcyclists, Mr. Dillon says he is shocked to see energetic Liberian cyclists within the district taking him by surprise.
Dillon says words are in adequate to express how he felt about what the cyclists did, saying one does’t know their friend in good time, but also in bad time.
He cautions the motorcyclists to be mindful on Election Day because there are supporters of some of the political parties who might want to create confusion to undermine the results of the polls on 8 December.
The tough – talking senator advises the young people to avoid anyone engaging them into confusion as the surest way of ignoring their evil deeds.
By Ethel A. Tweh & By Emmanuel Mondaye–Edited by Winston W. Parley
