Liberian opposition leader Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s running mate Senator Jeremiah Koung in 2021 opposed the former vice president’s 2023 presidential bid, citing possible mental and physical decline.
The Nimba Senator appeared as a guest on local broadcaster OK FM’s Wednesday, 15 September 2021 Edition of the OK Conversation and explained why he supported Boakai’s 2017 presidential bid but not his 2023 quest.
Koung indicated that he thought Amb. Boakai could be president in 2017 and serve one term due to the former vice president’s promise.
“I agreed with him. 2023, no, I disagree. In my mind, he should rest, find somebody else,” Koung said on 15 September 2021, more than a year before Boakai picked him on 28 May 2023 as running mate.
In that live conversation on OK FM in 2021, Mr. Koung explained that he supported Amb. Boakai, knowing that by 2023 he would be tired.
According to Koung, he thought that by 2023, Amb. Boakai could have a good heart, but everything, including his brain and body would have gone down.
In that interview, Koung suggested that it was nature for one to decline mentally and physically, citing an example of his father for whom he said he buys pampers every day.
“You [are] not holding it anymore, you [are] going down the hill. This is nature. My father, right now, I [am] buying him pamper. Every day I got to buy his pamper. This is the man who bought me pampers before,” said Mr. Koung.
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“I’m buying him pampers now because the time has reached,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Mr. Koung and Amb. Boakai are now running on the former ruling Unity Party (UP) ticket.
Their ticket remains the main rival to the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) presidential ticket headed by incumbent President George Manneh Weah.
It is amazing how time changes a man’s belief. Now, Liberian’s will have asked Koung what has changed for him, despite his previous warning about the declining health of the former vice president.
However, Boakai’s support base in the 2023 elections appear to attract some young people who feel disenchanted in the governance of President Weah.
With the backing of the young people, Mr. Weah won the 2017 presidential run-off against Boakai.
Notwithstanding some of the young people appear to show some support to the former vice president, as can be seen through Boakai’s recent public appearances.
There was a mass gathering of young people, including commercial motorcyclists, outside the privately-owned Truth FM 96.1 on Monday, 21 August 2023 in Du-port Road Community, Paynesville when Boakai appeared to address the public regarding his presidential quest.
