In the midst of victories for some candidates of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and some independent candidates in the just ended Special Senatorial Elections (SSE) in the country, Liberians and others are beginning to wonder whether President George Weah was ‘deceived’ to be over confident during the campaign period.
Chairman Morlu
Although the National Elections Commission (NEC) has not officially declared all winners from the just ended SSE, National Referendum and the Representative By-Elections in Montserrado electoral district nine, but the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) is seriously ebbing despite disclosing its ambition of winning all seats in the country.
Koijee
Prior to the elections, the governing CDC made its intention clear that it was well prepared to win all of the fifteen seats across the country.
Speaking earlier, the chairman of the ruling CDC, Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr said based on the works the government has done in the space of three years, it was clear that they will sweep all seats in the SSE, by-elections and National Referendum.
The Liberian leader was also assured that the party’s candidate, Montserrado County electoral district five Representative, Thomas P. Fallah who has been elected on three occasions in his district in 2005, 2011 and 2017 was the ‘best suited’ to defeat the candidate of the opposition CPP, incumbent Senator Abraham Darius Dillon.
According to insiders, it was based on the political records of Rep. Fallah that the Liberian leader was convinced that the CDC was well positioned to defeat Senator Dillon.
The current chairman of the party, Mulbah K. Morlu said he would resign if Senator Abraham Darius Dillon wins the Montserrado County race. Besides, Morlu, Representative Acarous Moses Gray, Senator Saah Joseph and others assured Liberians that they were ready to defeat Senator Dillon and the opposition community using the famous quotation from Rep. Gray ‘take it to the bank’
Other top officials of the governing party who were ‘overconfident’ during the campaign include Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, Ministers Nathaniel McGill, Samuel Tweah, among others.
Saah Joseph
The party puts out a mammoth crowd on what it referred to as “Blues Tsunami’ during the official launch of its campaign at the famous Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
Based on this assurance, President Weah was confident and took an array of partisans to various counties where the party has candidates to run campaign and encouraged eligible voters and citizens to see reasons in electing candidates of the ruling party, saying the opposition community was not in the interest of the Liberian people.
Prior to the party’s primaries in Montserrado County, Madam Jemama Wolokollie backed off alleging perceived fraud. Besides, long term diehard partisan Phil Tarpeh Dixon and others left and contested as independent candidates.
Beside Montserrado County, the party has so far been defeated in Bomi, Bong, Lofa, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Grand Kru, Grand Cape Mount, RiverGee, Gbarpolu and Margibi Counties respectively.
At some points, the Liberian leader threw jibes at opposition leaders, saying they are just noise makers. He also bragged that he will go down in history as the best president Liberia has ever had because of his unprecedented achievements in just three years as president.
Some CDcians at the rally of Rept. Thomas Fallah
Before the elections, President Weah brought in transformers for communities that are out of electricity, planted street lights, upgraded deplorable roads, broke grounds for road and housing units among others.
However, some of the communities where those transformers were installed, didn’t access electricity until the elections despite assurances that they would have had them.
Liberians who spoke to the New Republic Newspaper in the aftermath of the elections alleged that the Liberian leader was ‘deceived’ which he himself didn’t understand and was over confident in such manner.
Some also said the presumed victory for the opposition community should serve as a wakeup call for the ruling party ahead of the much anticipated 2023 general and presidential elections.
According to them, the results means the Liberian people are not happy with the governance of the state, but those around the president are not telling him the realities in order to address it, but they are ‘deceiving’ him.
At the same time, a political ally and self proclaimed ‘godfather’ of vote-rich Nimba County who overwhelmingly endorsed and supported President George Weah in the 2017 presidential elections, Senator Prince Yormie Johnson has drew a line from the heavy defeat of the party to what he calls ‘rejection from the Liberian over poor leadership’
In a sermon on Sunday December 13, 2020, the former warlord and now evangelist of the gospel of Jesus Christ called on the Liberian leader to do reshuffle because some of his inner cabinet members are not telling him the realities in the country.
“The writings on the walls are clear,” Senator Johnson warned President Weah.
According to him, if the president fails, the defeat in 2023 will be worse than what he has seen in the 2020 senatorial elections across the country.
Meanwhile, the CDC in a statement Monday December 14, 2020 conceded defeat and said “These elections as stated by the President are indeed a democratic triumph on which we can all build to move Liberia forward.”
Rept. Thomas Fallah casting his ballot on voting day
In statement signed by the party’s chairman Mulbah Morlu, the CDC said it will continue to work harder to enhance Liberian democracy, protect the peace and achieve the much needed and desired economic development and transformation as a government.
“On behalf of the President and leadership of the Coalition, let me publicly thank and pay homage to all Liberians and our loyal and committed partisans, well-wishers and sympathizers who turned out to support our campaign and to vote for the CDC throughout Liberia. To CDCIANS you fought a hard fight, but this is the nature of free fair and transparent democracy that is flourishing under the CDC. The truth is that mid-term elections the world over are tough on ruling parties and here in Liberia the electoral history confirms that,” the party said in a statement.
The statement further said “The CDC and the Government have received this message well and the outcomes will be shown in the weeks, months and years ahead as we push harder to meet the service delivery and economic needs of the Liberian people.
In the post-election environment, we should all remain committed to protecting the peace and promoting the image of our country. The Government and the CDC have heard from the Liberian people and will press harder to work for a more inclusive and unified governance framework, to accelerate the resolution of complex economic and development challenges, to improve service delivery to all our people, to provide better job opportunities for Liberians and to achieve the aims of the PAPD.”
Some Liberians who spoke to the New Republic Newspaper in the aftermath of the elections alleged that the Liberian leader was ‘deceived’ which he himself didn’t understand and was over confident in such manner.
For instance, the opposition political leader of MOVEE, Dan Sayeh told this paper that president Weah was not on top of the game. That he is surrounded by few cronies who only tell him lies at his own peril.
“This elections should serve as an eye opener for the president. If he is smart, he will change his political decision making. The opposition will take most of the seats and this is bad for him.”
He added “the presumed victory for the opposition community should serve as a wakeup call for the ruling party ahead of the much anticipated 2023 general and presidential elections.”
Francis Diggs, a senior student at the University of Liberia said, the presumptive results means the Liberian people are not happy with the governance of the state, but those around the president are not telling him the realities in order to address it, but they are ‘deceiving’ him.
An insider at the presidency who declined to be name said; “I do not agre with all that have been said. But will accept some. For instance, some partisans were not happy with T-5. From the party, they were pushing him. Minister of State did not play active role in it. Rather, Morlu, the chairman.”
Remember is a person who listens to people. I think he will go back and sit with his team to find a way out. Yes, the early results made the president angry. It can happen to anyone.”
When this paper called the party’s chairman if he will resign, there was no answer from him. Several calls were made and text messages sent to him, but to no avail.
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