Ahead of the November 14, Presidential Run-off, the opposition All Liberian Party (ALP), on Sunday, October 29th, endorsed the reelection bid of incumbent President Goerge Manneh Weah in an apparent backtracked from its previous criticisms against the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Benoni Urey’s ALP, especially its Vice Chairman for Inter-Party Affairs, and critics of the Weah government, Henry Pedro Costa had fearlessly batched the Weah’s government sending waves of uncertainties and lack of control by the George Weah administration.
Accepting the ALP endorsement, President George Weah began by saying, “Family tree can bend but it can’t break,” referring to Mr. Urey and his family as his family members and that they fell apart due to irreconcilable political differences then.
The All Liberian Party endorsement program was attended by several members of the government, and close allies of President Weah, including CDC National Campaign Chairman, Lenn Eugene Nagbe, Samuel Tweah Jr, the Finance and Development Planning Minister, and Manwine Diggs, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Pepci Yekeh, head of the government-run quick impact project LACE.
Amidst the joy on the faces of both President Weah and his longtime friend Benoni Urey, this paper noticed the conspicuous absence of key executives from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), sparking concern about the endorsement.
Notably absent were the CDC Chairman, Mulbah Morlu, Secretary Jefferson Koijee, Youth League Chairman, Emmanuel Johnson, Montserrado County Chairperson, and several zonal heads of the mighty Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).
As the absence of the CDC executives became noticeable, speculation began to spread about the lack of trust and sincerity of the ALP and their leadership, particularly talk show host Henry P. Costa.
At various points, pockets of discussion ensued, with some asking deeper questions about the motives of the ALP’s endorsement amidst deep-seated mistrust between the CDC and the ALP. Some wondered the sincerity of Henry Coast’s sudden shift from the Unity Party to the CDC he longed to fight against.
An elderly woman in the stands, whispered, “Henry P. Costa’s story should serve as a valuable lesson for all Liberians, especially those who prioritize their political parties over the well-being of the country, leading to internal conflicts over politicians. You mean for six years ago, Henry P. Costa divided Liberia by inciting hostility against President George Weah, yet they all are smiling like this?”
It can be recalled that Henry P. Costa, on June 7, 2019, led a massive protest against George Weah’s Government under the theme, “Save the State,” which drew international attention to the happenings in Liberia at the time.
Upon the ascendancy of George Weah’s government, Henry Costa for those 11 or so months became a part of the President’s “praise and worshipers” stating that it was time for every Liberian to put all ‘hands on deck’ to help the government make Liberia a better place and to give the new government a chance.
However, by mid-2018, Costa’s unflinching support for the regime began to dwindle and by the turn of 2018, he had gone back to being the Henry Costa most people knew him to be during the former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s regime. He was very critical of most things Madam Sirleaf and her regime did.
As Henry Costa supporters took to the streets to protest against corruption, particularly when L$16 billion went missing from the country’s development fund, simultaneously, thousands of CDCians, supporters of President Weah’s party, turned against Henry P. Costa, considering him an enemy of the government.
“Let me warn President George Weah to exercise care in his dealings with Henry P. Costa. It’s important to remember that Henry P. Costa was once a vehement adversary, even leading to his arrest, which prompted him to cross the border secretly one night. Now, he appears to be getting closer to Weah due to a hunger for power, revealing that politicians are primarily motivated by self-interest.
