Don’t bow to dismissal threat

By Lewis S. Teh

Nimba County Senator and chairman of the Governing Council of the opposition Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction, Prince Y. Johnson, cautions Nimbaians working in the CDC-led government not to bow to dismissal threats if they do not support the re-election of President Weah in October.

Senator Johnson, regarded as the political godfather of Nimba says he has received complaints from several Nimbians working in government of threats to dismiss them if they support the opposition in the pending elections.

Addressing a news conference at his residence in Paynesville outside Monrovia over the weekend, he encouraged citizens of Nimba working in the CDC-led government to remain firm in their support for the opposition block.

PYJ: “Because we’re not in support of them, so they have decided to go after our people, who are working in government; they’ve threatened one of our sons, who they made county chairman, but no number of threats should make our people to bow.”

According to him, he has received intelligence that President Weah himself has told a citizen of Nimba that he did not name, that failure by the people of Nimba to support his (Weah’s) re-election bid, they will be dismissed from every single position whether in government or at party level.

President Weah has several persons from Nimba in his government, including the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia, General Prince C. Johnson; the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Cllr. Cooper Kruah, and several others at junior levels.

But Sen. Johnson, once a close ally of President Weah, says such alleged threat coming from the President has put fear in Nimbians working in government, adding that upon the tipoff, he convened a meeting with some of his kinsmen aimed at encouraging them to stand their ground, as sons and daughters of Nimba.

“Today, we call you here to call on all our sons and daughters working in this government to stand their ground and not to bow to any threat or pressure coming from President Weah and his officials.”

“As I’m told, he wants to dismiss the county chair, the city mayor, and the statutory superintendent; let him go ahead to dismiss them. But he’s a political disappointment to this country and never will I support him”, he says referring to the President.

PYJ has enjoyed unlimited political power from Nimba characterized by massive support from the Gio-ethnic region, since 2006, a feat that has practically given him leverage in the national political space and positioned him as kingmaker in the last three elections. 

These successes have made him a political “Darlingboy” for both the former ruling Unity Party of ex-President Sirleaf and President Weah’s governing CDC, though it appears that he is losing grip of the latter.

A political marriage consummated with the CDC in 2017 that helped propelled President George Weah to the Presidency has gone sour in recent months with Johnson withdrawing his support from Weah. Editing by Jonathan Browne