Liberia News: Weah Silent on PYJ’s Message to Him

Liberia-Former President George Manneh Weah is one of several Liberians reeling from the shocking passing of Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson last Thursday evidenced by his disclosure that he the deceased had just exchanged text messages concerning a planned meeting between them.

Like many other Liberians and statesmen, the former President visited the home of the late Senator Sunday to identify with the wife and other family members who are presently yapping the sudden passing of the man they depended on for a protracted period of time to make ends meet and make life worth living.

Ex-President Weah was seen in social media footage consoling the late Senator’s wife and other family members, though his appearance was without a disturbing spectacle of his tacit avoidance of Vice President Jeremiah Koung and Representative Samuel Korgar who had stretched hands for handshake. The former President only put his hand on his chest, his usual way of greetings at some point in time, and walked towards the wife of dead Senator Johnson.

In a write-out by his former aide, Sekou Kalasco, the former President who also expressed shock at Mr. Johnson’s sudden demise, revealed that he and the late Senator had shared text messages and had even planned to meet, although it is not spelled out what the unrealized meeting was supposed to be about.

According to the former Liberian head of state, he would not disclose the contents of the deceased Senator message to him, but would keep it as souvenir, reminding him of the bond of amity they both shared.

His disclosure left Liberians wondering as to whether they were on the verge of salvaging their damaged relationship necessitated by the late Senator’s decision to lean towards current President Joseph Boakai in last year’s epochal elections which ex-President Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) lost.

The late Senator Johnson played a pivotal part in ensuring former President Weah’s election victory in 2017 by rallying the support of the people of vote-rich Nimba County behind him (Weah) following two successive failures in 2005 and 2011.

PYJ, knew for unpredictability as a soldier and politician, failed to continue his support to the former President for reasons he did not disclose, but the decision came as a shock to many Liberians and the entire landscape in light of his endless expression of admiration for the manner in which the former leader handed the state of affairs, particularly the unprecedented attention given Nimba County’s development.

The Weah regime is credited for providing Nimba County an unparalleled development platform, undertaking many road and meaningful projects compared to other counties, particularly in the southeast where he hails from.

What appeared as conspiracy theories emerged in light of the bad blood that ensued between the ‘kings maker’ of Nimba and the former President, with allegations that the former President refused to honor the late Senator’s request and demand for huge sum of money to be able to support his second bid for the presidency, but he (Weah) did not pay heel, relying on the level of work his government did in the county as sufficient reasons Nimba would overwhelmingly vote for him.