PYJ issues threat

Nimba Lawmakers are said to be jittering after the county’s Legislative Caucus head Senator Prince Yormie Johnson threatened to replace them at the ballot box in 2017.

Senator Johnson vows to make sure lawmakers from all nine districts of Nimba do not get re-elected if they join the Pro-Tyler group at the House of Representatives. The group is opposed to call by some members of the lower House for indicted Speaker Tyler to recuse himself from office in order to face prosecution on criminal charges drawn against him by the State.

Speaking on Voice of Gompa, a community radio station in Ganta, Nimba County, PYJ dubbed as the ‘Godfather of Nimba politics’ said if lawmakers from the county declined to affix their signatures to a resolution to have the embattled Speaker recused, they will have themselves to blame come 2017.

He urged members of the Nimba Legislative Caucus in the House of Representatives to support ongoing efforts to unseat the criminally indicted Speaker to redeem the image of the Liberian Legislature.

The threat has generated serious controversy in the county with some citizens opposing the move and vowing not to listen to any comment from Senator Johnson. Some Nimba lawmakers have described the county caucus chair as someone, who is not up for peace.

District Two Lawmaker Prince O.S. Tokpa and his colleague of District#8 Larry P. Younquoi both told our correspondent they were elected by their people to represent them, but not to create trouble for the county.

Responding in an angry tone, both lawmakers lamented that Senator Johnson lacks authority to boot them out in the 2017 elections.“If he brings this thing, we will not focus on it because we were elected to promote peace and unity rather than violence”, they said. Some citizens of the county referred to Representatives Prince O.S. Tokpa and Larry P. Younquoi as development-oriented lawmakers, pledging to give them their support in 2017.

Other lawmakers in the county declined to comment on the threat unless they consulted with their various constituents.
However, District Five Representative Samuel Korgar, said he’s supportive of current campaign to have Speaker Tyler removed, but totally disagrees with threat coming from Sen. Johnson.
Representative Korgar called on his colleagues in the lower House to join the Anti-Tyler bloc to get the Speaker out. Editing by Jonathan Browne