By-Election Surprises: -CDC Loses Grand Gedeh County -Finda, Salvage, Brown Lead In Bomi, Bong And Nimba

No one saw it coming and just like the Montserrado County of yore, Grand Gedeh County has always been considered as one of the strongest fortresses of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change(CDC) but the results from the by-election conducted yesterday, Tuesday, November 16, 2021 saw the ruling establishment surrendering its hold on the county with a humiliating defeat in the hands of  the candidate of  the little known Liberia Restoration Party (LRP), Mr. Erol Madison Gwion Sr. Grand Gedeh has always voted the party massively since 2005 when it was in opposition.

From the preliminary results which were pasted on the walls of the polling precincts and signed by party agents, copies of which are in possession of The Analyst, Mr. Gwion polled 3,109 votes against the CDC candidate Mr. Jeremiah Garwo Sokan who garnered 2,698 votes.

The results from the county are already raising concerns among political pundits about the fate of CDC whose traditional territories have been eroded by the opposition camp in recent times.

In Nimba County, the candidate of the “God father of Nimba Politics”, (Senator Prince Y. Johnson) Professor Francis Nya Maweah is said to be one of the candidates among those who are billed to lose the race. If that comes through as per the results released so far, it will bring to scrutiny how far the maverick Senator’s hold on the county still stands.  He was one of the reasons why Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koon was elected to the senate during the December 8, 2020 Special Midterm Senatorial race. Senator Koon’s political weight is also said to be under serious threats after failing to lead his anointed successor to the Promised Land.

Samuel Brown, Sr who was said to have been ditched by CDC and denied the ticket, but decided to contest as an independent, is leading the pack and may eventually turn to be the winner at the end of the day in Nimba County.

Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe is said to be showing his supremacy in Bomi County politics as the candidate whose hand he lifted and the only female candidate in the race Madam Finda Lassanah is dusting other candidates by a wide margin and will be increasing the number of female lawmakers in the national legislature. Few days to the by-election, Senator Snowe and Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) exchanged war of words while canvassing votes for their respective candidates and a victory for Snowe’s choice will be a slap in the faces of top echelons of the CPP some of whom came into direct confrontation with him in the course of the electioneering period.

In Bong County, Senator Prince Moye might have not replicated his political strength that made him elevate his status at the national legislature from being a representative to a senator with the news coming that his candidate Joshua Better has not been able to make the cut for those who are the forerunners. With 85% of the votes counted last night, Melvin Salvage of CDC was leading with 3,185 votes while his closest rival, James M. Kolleh of the People’s Unification Party (PUP) came up with 3,073.

If the permutations work in favor of those already in the lead, then it is also safe to say that the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) performed abysmally given the way it is considered as a major institution that has the capacity to pull the rug from under the feet of the CDC. It will represent a decline from the electoral fortune achieved during the last Special midterm senatorial race in 2020. The nation awaits the final results.