By Bill W. Cooper
The political atmosphere of the country is said to be getting intense day-by-day between ranking members of the opposition community and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
This has however led to serious exchanges between supporters of political parties as Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor and Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson seem to be in a long haul of words-claims and counterclaims.
On Thursday, May 18, 2023, Vice President Howard-Taylor, giving her verdict on the Boakai-Koung ticket said, Liberians should be wary of the ticket on grounds that if ex-vice President Boakai wins the presidency and dies in office “due to his poor health,” it is Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson that will run the presidency in disguise, instead of Senator Jeremiah Koung.
Veep Howard-Taylor asked, “God forbid, when people elect Vice President Boakia as President of Liberia and he dies in office, who will be President?” The crowd answered Prince Johnson and she continued, “So, we are coming to make Prince Johnson President? You need to think about it very carefully.”
But in a strong worded reaction to the current VP yesterday at his Christ Chapel of Faith Ministry in Payne, the Nimba County Senator said, “Madam Jewel, I’m not going to insult you because you’re my daughter, our mother, sister, wife and I’m also a man of God.”
“But one thing I have to say to you is that you pray for your boss (President George Weah) to die in order for you to take over as President of Liberia so you can free your husband Charles Taylor from jail,” he said.
Preaching on the theme: “Let’s us refrain from doing evil things,” Sen. Johnson asked rhetorically, “Do Madam VP don’t know her Constitution that she would intentionally pray for Mr. Boakai to die on grounds that once that happens, I will be President?”
“It is pathetic and disgusting that a woman who should be the mother of the country and a Senator would say such a thing. I think what she should be more concerned about is her son that is going crazy as a result of drugs but as far as I’m concerned, Weah political door is closed and this country will be redeemed,” he noted.
The Nimba County Senator is on record for playing a pivotal role in the re-election of President George Weah and Vice Howard Taylor (both then Senators) when he pledged his support to them during the presidential runoff election in 2017.
However, he broke ties with President Weah and switched allegiance to Weah’s political nemesis, former Vice President Boakia who recently handpicked Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung, political leader of Senator Johnson’s party, the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) as his running mate.
He further vowed to do all in his power to campaign and ensure that the Unity Party standard bearer, Joseph Boakai and Jeremiah Koung wins the October 10 polls, a leadership he said will deliver, bring hope and equitably distribute the country’s wealth.
According to the Nimba County Senator, the government of President Weah and VP Taylor has miserably failed the Liberian people as a result of bad governance, abuse of power, corruption, and mismanagement of public funds as well as lack of security, among others.
He maintained, “Liberians and the people of Nimba are not sleeping bexuase they see and know everything that’s happening in the country; how our people are being mysteriously killed without justice, lack of jobs creation and the importation of the influx of drugs into the country that is now damaging the youthful population of Liberia.”
“In fact, since you and Weah became President and Vice President, what can we boast of us a nation? Nothing, because you have and is looting our country at the detriment of the massive but we will correct this mistake on October 10, 2023,” Sen. Johnson said.
Commenting on his participation in the country’s 14 years of civil conflict, Sen. Johnson said his participation in the war was to liberate Liberians and the people of Nimba who he said were being ill-treated by former President Samuel Kanyon Doe.
He at the same time vowed to turn himself if the government established the War and Economic Crimes Court, adding, “I’m not afraid of anything because what I did was for my country and people. So, I the court come, I will go there and clear my name but don’t use that to cause trouble at my church or any properties.”
