-Declares Sen. PYJ; After A Smashing Defeat Of His Supported Candidate; Turns Pontius Pilate Instantly; Says, He Washed His Hands
MONROVIA-The November 16, 2021 by-election in Nimba County where Senator Prince Y. Johnson is considered Nimba One, the kingmaker/Kingpin, the godfather of the County’s politics-meaning anyone’s hand he holds up for election must win, was badly bothered with a crushing blow that now erodes his grip onto leading the people whom to vote for; thereby being brutally confronted with an uphill fray of ‘game changer’.
Although, this defeat is not the first of him holding someone’s hand to win election, in fact his luck had run out on two different occasions with one in his own home town where he was massively defeated in keeping with including the man in his own home town, including those he presented as his candidates; without learning that politics is dynamic and not static; the latest in Ganta became the straw that broke the camel’s back; wherein he (PYJ) must realize that in politics, no one is an island. In total shock and amazement, Sen Johnson noted that most people have accused him in the county of being a tribalist, and as a Gio man, all those he had supported were all Gio, and what he wanted this time was a compromised candidate, but found out that the man who won the district election is a Gio and a relative of him, adding that the victory of Samuel Brown, Jr., who is a Gio man, and an independent candidate exonerated him of not operating specifically for the Gio people.
Conceding the defeat regarding the candidate, Mr. Francis Nya Maweah he (PYJ) supported, the once renowned political godfather of Nimba County’s politics, pointed out that he did not know his supported candidate well, and that everything he did do including consultation with the people from the district did not work out as the people told him squarely that he should back-off in this case, and give them chance to exercise their free will concerning who they wanted, and were voting for which was not his supported candidate..
He also described some elements from the Coalition of the Democratic Change who, according to him, are dirty and undermined his efforts, and would inform President George M. Weah and Minister Nathaniel F. McGill about their (top and well-placed CDC’s officials) uncouth attitude that frustrated his zeal and undercut his morale in the race which he (PYJ) sees as a gross disrespect towards him, being a staunch supporter of the President (Weah).
At the same time, a strong supporter of PYJ’s defeated candidate vehemently vented out his anger and dissatisfaction at PYJ for letting down their candidate thereby being the cause of his (defeated candidate) poor rating and performance in the race for a district in Ganta on his (PYJ’s) political party, when he (PYJ) conceded that he knew that his candidate would not have won yet he did what all he could do, and did his best, even though he admitted that he was not happy that his candidate lost.
However, out of shame and disillusion, PYJ elected to congratulate Brown, but according to him, Brown was in a victory festive mood and could not reach him, but would do it the next day. Moreover, Nimba County Representative Larry P. Younquoi, following the defeat of PYJ’s candidate who ran on Sen. Johnson’s party ticket, informed the challenged godfather of Nimba’s politics that it has become an open secret that the Senator is losing momentum, steam and relevance in the county body-politics, and the election’s result from the November 16. 2021 race should be very worrisome to him (PYJ), and a signal of greater things to come in 2023.
Another group of enthusiastic supporters of PYJ’s defeated candidate also informed Senator Johnson to be mindful that the time when he held others’ hands up high and are bound to win the elections are past and far too gone; and the current defeat of his supported candidate should not be taken lightly rather a clarion message that the people are taking full ownership of expressing their independent will for whom they so desired, and not those favored by the already declining cookies cutter wholly accorded the politically-worried-godfather of the county.
They noted that PYJ should now begin to deeply concentrate on the latest political headache weighing gravely on him as a lesson learned from the November 16, 2021 by-election; as the people are rapidly liberating themselves from the blind custody they found themselves in due to now questionable loyalty; and the business of party mandate, standing with, and holding others’ hands up in public to be elected, and being present at rallies of candidates with vested interests in; are all rapidly fading variables in the political equation of which 2023 will be too exhausted and heavily reluctant to accommodate rather all interested power seekers will have to prove their worth, show their accomplished political juice and stand tall on their own feet regarding pragmatic services and contributions to the state, counties and districts respectively; in place of overnight cosmetic presence and impressions for elected post.
As pundits have already alarmed, all those seeking the people’s mandate to govern, must take a deep look into themselves and see just what is going on very wrong, re-arrange their political mathematics, and re-organize their tactics and strategies if the numbers must come, while shifting the pin embedded in the compass of 2023 from politico-cash- resource-verbosity, to absolute people-centered, the logical conclusion at the end of the process, Liberia will either have a new leader coupled with a batch of new generation of elected individuals or retain the old leader and the gang of power seekers which will be left all up to the electrets to make or break.
Meanwhile, Candidate Erol Madison Gwion, Sr., of Liberia Restoration Party (LRP) took the lead in Grand Gedeh County, the stronghold of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) since 2005. In Bong County, James Kolleh of the People’s Unification Party (PUP) has been the force to reckon; and Finda Gborie Lansanah of Bomi County is the hottest potato, and so hot that she is far too ahead for competing rivals to even see her back.
Senator Johnson said, “I advised the people but they did not listen. We cannot take the cow to the water and force it to drink.”
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.