MONROVIA – Armstrong Kosleph Marziah, a long-standing partisan of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), has openly defied the party following his suspension by its Revolutionary National Youth League (RNYL) for endorsing Representative Samuel G. Kogar in the upcoming Nimba County senatorial by-election.
In a public statement issued Thursday, Marziah criticized the CDC’s internal leadership, stating that his suspension was politically motivated and rooted in his decision to support Kogar over other CDC-backed candidates. He defended his actions as a commitment to the interest of his county rather than party politics.
“I was suspended from the party I voluntarily supported since 2005 simply because I stood with a warrior of my county, Honorable Samuel Kogar,” Marziah declared. “My decision is undiluted, and I stand by it with no regrets.”
He accused the CDC of failing to provide timely and coherent guidance to its members ahead of the by-election. According to him, the party delayed announcing its position and left supporters in confusion by endorsing three separate candidates in a single race without any visible campaign effort by the National Executive Committee on the ground in Nimba.
“How do you expect this message to reach my people in Biahplay or Ninkwa chiefdom when all the executives are comfortably sitting in Monrovia?” he questioned.
Marziah further argued that the local support for Kogar is a reflection of deep frustration among CDC’s base in Nimba. He referenced grassroots figures including Martin Fahn, Sam Kpam, and Josiah Gbusseh as fellow comrades who have also thrown their weight behind Kogar.
“The people of Nimba have spoken,” he emphasized. “We are replacing our fallen warrior with a living warrior.”
While expressing disappointment in the party’s actions, Marziah said he remains respectful of the decision, but warned that silencing committed voices within the CDC could lead to long-term consequences.
“I wish the CDC the best, but leadership must remember that a party that silences its own voices risks losing them forever,” he concluded.
