By Thomas Domah, Nimba County
President George Weah campaigned vigorously across Liberia for votes particularly in Nimba County amid strong opposition from the UP/MDR collaboration, but the ruling CDC didn’t sweep the county, as was expected in its quest for a second term on a one-round victory.
The NEW DAWN’s Nimba correspondent has been reflecting to see what went wrong that the Nimba people could not deliver their county to the CDC despite all efforts by President Weah to get the vote-rich county on his side in the October 10th elections.
During his four-day campaign visit to the county prior to the elections, President Weah received huge support from Nimbaians, including rural women and VIP women groups in Electoral District#4 which has a population of 1,500. Besides women and youth groups under the banner Gbeh -la-Gweh project also pledged support towards the re-election of President Weah.
However, political observers note that these various groups including the Very Important People (VIP) Women headed by Pastor Mary Massaquoi received 5 Million Liberian Dollars and a twin-cabin pick-up from the President, while the Gbeh -la- -Gweh project received huge cash but they didn’t deliver Nimba as was expected, as the county was a battleground between the ruling CDC and the opposition Unity Party of former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
Our correspondent notes members of the tribe that dominate Nimba voted overwhelmingly for the UP instead, because of Senator Jeremiah Koung who is the running mate of Boakai,
However, this is not the first time they have voted this way.
During the 2011 elections, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf did all, including the construction of the Jackson Fiah Doe Memorial Hospital in Tappita plus other developmental activities carried out across the county, but she was unable to get more votes after Senator Prince Johnson of MDR campaigned against her.
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During the 2020 Special Senatorial elections, which former Superintendent Edith Gongloe-Wehyee contested, she was unable to get more votes from the Gio region despite campaigning across the county.
In the October 10th Elections, another candidate from the Mano tribe Nya Twayen, Jr., who carried out more investment in the Gio region under the expectation that he would have been voted there, lost to Senator Prince Johnson, who will historically become perhaps the longest serving member of the Liberian Senate, looking up to 27 years.
The Weah administration has delivered development across Nimba County with citizens of Districts 3,4 and 5 respectively benefitting reconditing of farm-to-market roads, modern schools in Bahn City, and buses for schools in Karnplay and Bahn, among others.
The President, however, got votes from the Mano region including Gbi-Dru and Kparblee as well as from huge numbers of youth mainly first-time voters.
In the hometown of CDC Nimba campaign manager, Mack Gblinwon, who is also County Inspector; Good Governance Commission Atty. Garrison Yealue, Jr., deputy minister Melvin Yealue, and home town of the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, the CDC performed poorly.
In the same District#4, Representative Gunpue L. Kargon also lost to opposition Unity Party/MDR Candidate Ernest Manseh in the re-run election conducted in Precinct Beo-Lontuo. Editing by Jonathan Browne
