Grand Gedeans pressurize Weah

A group of youth under the banner “Grand Gedeh County Students Movement” protests here calling on President George Manneh Weah to appoint sons and daughters from the county, a stronghold of Weah’s Coalition for Democratic Change.

The protesting youth intimate that Grand Gedeh County has been a political stronghold in making Weah reached the Liberian presidency, and as such, it is imperative that his appointments focus on their county to have a full reflection of people who stood with him during his political struggling days rather than those, who just lately came around after it was clear the presidency was already within his reach.

This paper subsequently established that the protest was masterminded by one Jeremiah Sokan, a son of Grand Gedeh County, seeking to become executive director for the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA.

According to sources closed to the Presidency, the pressure from the group is intended to force President Weah to appoint one of their kinsmen as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even though said individual does not have the qualifications.

“They are preaching divisive politics and doing all kinds of thing to put the President against the people of Grand Gedeh. This is not fair; this government is not for one county, this President is not tribal, we want them to desist from such act and allow this government to take shape “, one of the sources remark. They maintain that the President sees the act as being divisive and against national unity.

The mastermind, Jeremiah Sokan vied in 2017 as a representative candidate in Grand Gedeh County against incumbent Representative Zoe Pennue but lost. He is said to have campaigned in the county openly for the former ruling Unity Party Standard Bearer, ex-Vice President Joseph Boakai.

In a statement issued in Monrovia, the group president Kelvin Clay, claims that since President Weah began his appointments in government, citizens of Grand Gedeh County have been excluded in the process.

Mr. Clay expresses frustration over the manner in which the appointments are being carryout in the Pro-Poor government the President talks about.“We don’t need an oversea Grand Gedean to occupy government positions, because we have qualified citizens of the county, who during the campaign process did everything to deliver the county completely to the Coalition for Democratic Change ”, he says.

He also indicates that since the appointments started, President Weah has only appointed former Representative Kai G. Fallai as Superintendent of the county, which D. Kelvin Clay terms as insufficient for the level of support received from Grand Gedeh during the 2017 Presidential and Representatives elections.

“Mr. President, we the youth and students slept in the bushes just to make sure that our votes were protected from evil people, we saw you as the best alternative for our beloved country”, Clay reminds.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor-Editing by Jonathan Browne