MONROVIA – For a recently registered political party that intends to wrestle power from the ruling Unity Party’s well-oiled political machinery, some pundits are conjecturing that the Citizens for Change Movement (CMC) and its political leader Musa Hassan Bility could have a Herculean task ahead of the 2029 presidential and general elections. But according to Bility, the leadership of the ruling Unity Party, since 2023, has erected a house of political cards that could prove its undoing in the country’s second most vote-rich county – Nimba. As The Analyst reports, Bility believes there is an entrenched leadership divide within one of the UP’s main strongholds, wherein Vice President Jeremiah Koung has allegedly created a deep-seated political wedge among key Nimba County political stakeholders, as opposed to his boss President Joseph Nyuma Boakai who presided over a splintered Lofa County vote in 2023 but has managed to consolidate his Lofa County to the extent that even those who bitterly opposed him during the last national elections are now eating from his palm.
Stating his gripe in his regular “Letter from Saclepea” column, CMC Political Leader Bility conjectured that there is clear leadership division when it comes to Lofa and Nimba Counties, which he termed, “Lofa and Nimba Counties: The Tale of Two Leadership”.
According to the Nimba County District #7 lawmaker, Lofa County inherited a President whose instinct for tribal politics is well known, yet he has united his people after a highly divisive electoral process.
“Many, including myself, have often said that his politics is tribalistic. That is true. Yet in this case, he has used that instinct to his advantage. He has made it as a strength to cement his hold over his home county.
“Lofa is one of Liberia’s largest counties, rich in population, highly educated, and politically strategic. Despite being opposed by many of Lofa’s strongest men and women in both the 2017 and 2023 elections, he managed to win the presidency without their help. And remarkably, once in office, he brought nearly all of them under his control. Today, he presides comfortably over Lofa without fear of challenge from any of its citizens,” Bility said, noting that whether one praises or criticizes President Boakai’s his methods, he has consolidated Lofa and secured a unified base behind him, unlike his Nimba County Vice President.
“Just east of Lofa lies Nimba County, my own county. And here the story could not be more different. As Vice President of Liberia, Jeremiah Koung has presided over Nimba in a way that is nothing short of miserable. Instead of uniting his home county, he has sought to divide it. He has discouraged dissent, distanced himself from anyone who dares to show independence, and betrayed even those who tried to work with him.
“Meeting with him has become a point of suspicion. Those who stand firm, whether Musa Bility, Edith Gongloe, Samuel Kogar, or any other Nimbain who has shown a strong opinion or even quiet independence, have all been sidelined. Even those who once stood by him have been humiliated and cast aside.
“For myself, he has targeted not only my political life but even my business. He has realized that he cannot control me politically, and so he resorts to harassment and intimidation. He even uses local officials, like the superintendent, to disrespect and denigrate lawmakers.
“But let me be clear: all this only strengthens my resolve. Nimba will resist what the Vice President is doing to this country. Nimba will stand up to him. And Nimba will speak against his divisive politics. I am proud to lead that charge, no matter the cost. And so here we are, two counties, two leaders, two outcomes.
“In Lofa, a President who, despite his flaws and tribal instincts, has managed to consolidate power and unify his people. In Nimba, a Vice President who has squandered the trust of his people, divided communities, and turned potential allies into enemies.
“These are the two tales before us. One of redemption. One of betrayal. And history will judge them accordingly. Have a pleasant, splendid week ahead,” Bility said.