MONROVIA – Barely three months before general and presidential elections in Liberia, a man believed to be a US citizen, identified as Missionary Johnny Rice, has been spotted publicly wearing paraphernalia belonging to the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), in contravention of Liberian law, which prohibits foreigners from meddling in the country’s domestic politics.
A native of Chillicothe, Ohio, the USA, Rice, claims he received a prophecy from God that incumbent President George Weah would win a landslide victory over his opponents in the 10 October presidential election.
He made the claim on Monday, 17 July 2023, during a function of the ruling CDC’s “Thank You” rally, when he was seen at the party’s Oldest Congo Town Headquarters, the venue of the political gathering, fully dressed in the ruling party’s t-shirt designed expressly for the occasion.
Rice could be heard honking an animal horn, a backpack flowing down his right shoulder, and saying, “Six more years for President George Weah.”
“I’m Missionary Johnny Rice… “God gave me a prophecy, the President is going to win [a] victory landslide,” Johnny Rice, sporting a CDC t-shirt, predicted.
Meanwhile, the CDC has stated that it staged Monday’s “Thank You” political gathering as a show of gratitude to President Weah for what they deemed his administration’s accomplishments during its nearly six-year rule.
While addressing hordes of his partisans and supporters jammed into the CDC Headquarters, President Weah largely slammed opposition political party leaders, particularly former Vice President Joseph Boakai, standard bearer of the former ruling Unity Party.
The Liberian leader also seized the opportunity to name Eugene Lenn Nagbe, the Maritime Commissioner, as the chairperson of the CDC Campaign Team for the 2023 elections.
