By Olando Testimony Zeongar
LIBERIA – A political commentator and renowned talk radio presenter, Henry Pedro Costa, has predicted that within ten months’ time, there will be another person other than President George Weah in Liberia’s Executive Mansion, indicating that that person is Unity Party Standard Bearer, former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai (JNB).
In October this year, Liberians are poised to go to the polls in the country’s scheduled general and presidential elections to elect a president, vice president, and a hoard of legislators.
After fleeing Liberia two years ago due to perceived threats to his life, on 30 December last year, Costa returned to the country to a heroic welcome, with a sea of his supporters gracing a welcome ceremony held in the honor of the man many of his followers refer to as “Hero.”
Delivering a special statement at the welcome ceremony, Costa, the Chairman of the pressure group, Council of Patriots (CoP), credited with staging Liberia’s most populated and peaceful protest in the country’s most recent history said: “In 10 months from now, we will have a new president in the Mansion,” inferring that JNB would be that new president.
He asserted that, unlike President Weah, Joe Boakai has all it takes to lift Liberia from its current leadership quagmire, adding that the Unity Party Standard Bearer is a caring leader, who is a family man, married for 50 years now, has all members of his family in the country, and is a Deacon in his church, the Effort Baptist Church.
He threw a jab at Weah, who, upon becoming president assumed the role of a prelate, stating that JNB is not a fake Pastor – rather, a truly decent, humble, honorable man, indicating that as such, when the Unity Party Political Leader ascends the presidency of Liberia, “he will lift this country up, and then he will prepare us the young people and he will turn it over to us and together we will lift this country and we will move with this country and Liberia will become what it can be; that sweet land of liberty.”
He pointed out that at that time, Liberia would not be a sweet land of liberty for a few people, as it is being experienced during the reign of soccer icon Weah, but that it would be a sweet land of liberty for all Liberians.
Stating his reason for supporting JNB for president of Liberia, Costa told his throngs of supporters the Unity Party man has a story like Joseph of the Holy Bible, saying like biblical day Joseph, Joe Boakai has tasted betrayal from people he loves and served diligently.
He specifically named former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who he accused of betraying JNB, in his quest of becoming president of Liberia, when she preferred Weah, who he described as a monster, over the Unity Party Standard Bearer in 2017.
“Some of you ask me why do you support Joseph Nyuma Boakai for president? Do you know about the story of Joseph in the Bible? Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him, they sold him into slavery. But they didn’t know what they were doing. They were his destiny helpers and they didn’t know that – and then famine would fall upon the land and they would go seeking food and their brother had now become Prime Minister and he would help them,” Costa said.
He continued: “This Joseph that we have, this Joseph who was betrayed by Ellen, to put this monster upon us – when I told the Liberian people kojologbo and poison, I told you it would happen… I told you if you take the kojologbo it will be bitter but it will make you well. But if you drink the poison, it will kill you. Today, we are dying.”
Howbeit, Costa, while waving the Liberian flag that he was previously adrift in, intimated that he had come to restore hope to Liberians.
“This flag will fly once again, and we will build a Liberia where your children and my children can have a great future, where you don’t have to go to America to own a car. You don’t have to go to a foreign country to own a house. You can live in this country with the blessings that God has bestowed on us, we can make this country work for every human being in this country,” he assured Liberians.
However, he made it clear that the country needs to have what he called the right leadership for such things to be achieved, suggesting that JNB, as president, is the right man to provide such leadership for Liberia and that 2023 is the appointed time.
“Natural resources cannot build a country. A country is built by visionary leadership. Honest leadership. A leadership of integrity and that is the leadership that Joe Boakai will bring to this country,” said Costa, who stated that he stands ready to surrender his senatorial ambition to ensure JNB is Liberia’s next president in 2023.
“I will give up my senatorial aspirations in order for Joe Boakai to be president if I have to, and you know why, because as a senator, what significant difference would I make in the Senate if we don’t have a decent president in the Mansion,” said Costa, who propounded that with the right president and he Pedro in the Liberian Senate, “we can change this country. We will make good laws that will benefit all of our people.”
