LIBERIA – The standard bearer of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and President of Liberia, George M. Weah on Thursday, January 19, met with the CDC leadership from Nimba County in an effort to smooth the political bitterness his party’s secretary general sparked days ago in Saclepea, Nimba County.
The visit by the Nimba County chapter of the CDC comes days after the CDC secretary general, Mayor Jefferson T. Koijee caused a stir that prompted Nimbaians to have walked out of the event hall when he threw a jab believed to be at the county’s “political godfather”, Sen. Prince Yormie Johnson; saying that Nimbaians should stop focusing on making just one person happy all the time but the entire county happy.
Koijee threw the jab when members of the County chapter of the CDC and Nimbaians had gathered at the launch of the ‘Nimba4Weah2023’ campaign.
Local CDC chapter leaders and many other attendees walked out of the building, leaving it practically deserted. Only Koijee, who served at the occasion as a proxy for President George Mannerh Weah, was still speaking on the podium, and a few people were seen left in the hall.
People in the hall over the weekend felt that the Koijee’s jabs — even if he avoided naming anyone — were meant for Johnson, who is reaching the end of his second consecutive senatorial term, a total of 18 years.
A source told Smart News Liberia, the President arranged the meeting, as he is desperate to hold on to the votes rich Nimba County as October’s general and presidential elections are just months away — and seeing the political relationship between him and Sen. Johnson declining, the President is making ways to cement his political relationship with Nimba by all cost.
According to the source, President Weah has been allegedly facing to make restitution with Senator Johnson following the Senator’s public condemnation of President Weah’s Coalition for Democratic Change government.
It can be recalled, on Saturday, January 14, 2023, Senator Johnson threatened to dump President Weah in the pending general and presidential elections.
Speaking to scores of partisans from the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), during a program marking the distribution of motorbikes for 15 counties coordinators of Nimba Union across Liberia, Senator Prince frowned on the president for allegedly giving US$ 25,000 to a few people for the purpose of rallying citizens his visit in Nimba.
Senator Johnson also accused the CDC-led government of vehemently refusing to remit the Social Development Funds from the concession of ArcelorMittal to Nimba County for nearly six years.
“No matter of monies you paid to bring crowd, I will dump you!” he said.
“President George Weah is not someone to trust; the boy fooled us.”
Senator Johnson told partisans of Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) that apart from Nimba County, none of the three counties (Bong, Grand Bassa, and Nimba) targeted under the AML Concession County Social Department Funds has received a cent from the government.
The comments from the Senator come days after he vowed to boycott a planned visit of President Weah to Nimba until the county is considered for “influential” jobs in government, and proceeds of the County’s Social Development Funds are remitted to the County.
Senator Johnson made Weah win the 2017 numbers in vote-rich Nimba County. Senator Johnson told Nimbaians that President Weah is not someone to trust and as such no Nimbaians should support his re-election bid.
