Nimba County Senator Prince Yormie Johnson (PYJ) has assured Liberians that things will not fall apart as [they have] been perceived, following a fruitful closed-door meeting with President Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
“My Nimba people, let’s stand together in support of the JNB-JKK administration. With the president’s commitment made to me yesterday, I believe my people will be happy very soon and things will not fall apart as it has been perceived,” he posted on Facebook on Sunday, 18 February 2024.
Senator Johnson’s post came Sunday following several weeks of growing disenchantment in how President Boakai’s appointment of officials in cabinet positions appeared to have low inclusion of the Senator’s kinsmen.
Since the 2005 elections that brought former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to power, Senator Johnson continues to wield influence over the politics in Nimba County.
None of the presidential candidates that Johnson endorsed in a run-off since 2005 has lost to their rival.
This is not only because Nimba is a vote-rich county, but a vast majority of the people of voting age regard him as their political godfather who must always direct their way.
Johnson’s fame and political glory from Nimba are tied to his wartime stance in ruthlessly protecting Nimbaians against alleged enemies during which under his watch, then-sitting President Samuel Kanyon Doe was brutally murdered.
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Ex-presidents Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah, and now incumbent President Boakai have all won in presidential elections with the backing of Senator Johnson.
But the latest developments after Boakai’s 2023 presidential victory appeared a bit sour politically for Johnson because political appointments seemed not to be to his taste.
On some occasions, Senator Johnso used his Church pulpit to voice out his disenchantment in the initial release of Boakai’s list of cabinet nominees in which Lofa had topped with five, followed by Bong with four, while Nimba had two.
Beyond the issues with presidential appointments, Johnson remains unhappy whenever he hears about the establishment of a war and economic crimes court, a task Boakai wants to take on in his administration.
One of Johnson’s kinsmen, retired Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Prince C. Johnson, III, resigned as Defense Minister due to active soldiers’ spouses’ widespread protests against his nomination and confirmation as Minister.
Additionally, President Boakai also dropped Senator Johnson’s kinsman Cllr. Cooper Kruah as Justice Minister nominee and reappointed him as Labor Minister following a series of accusations by some individuals against the nominee.
But Senator Johnson noted in his post that he met with the senior elder President Boakai behind closed doors and they discussed a wide range of issues.
He disclosed that some of the discussions focused on the development of the nation, peace and security, and job creation, including youth and women’s empowerment programs.
“He said he hasn’t forgotten about the people of Nimba when it comes to jobs and infrastructure development because the people of Nimba did well for him,” Senator Johnson wrote.
“He promised to always consider the needs of our people. He said to me, “Senator, we are the senior elders in Liberia at the moment, so let’s work together to make Liberia proud,” the Nimba Senator continued.
“I agreed and reaffirmed my commitment to work with him to make his administration successful, among other things we discussed,” he concluded.
