The much awaited Bye-election to fill the vacancies created in Bomi, Bong, Grand Gedeh and Nimba Counties as the result of the former occupants of the seats in the affected counties being elected into the Upper Chambers of the National Legislature during the last Special Midterm Senatorial election held on December 8, 2020, will hold today, Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
According to reports in the counties, in the past days, campaign activities which have seen candidates and their supporters criss-crossing the length and breadth of the respective counties wooing voters ended at 12 midnight on Sunday, November 14, 2021 in line with the guideline of the National Elections Commission (NEC). It has been reported that though the campaigns ended, candidates and their supporters were still engaged in subtle canvassing to further reach areas that were uncovered during their engagements as well as consolidating their grounds.
Latest reports speak of massive security arrangements have been put in place to forestall unforeseen situations associated with elections of such nature.
Though all candidates have put in their best to outshine their opponents, our correspondents have been able to identify some of the leading candidates in the various counties on account of the penetration they have made into the hearts of voters based on their popularity, preparedness, support base, track records and the voters’ perception.
In Bomi County, Madam Finda Gborie Lassanah, widow of the late Senator Lassanah, Charles S. Brown of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and J. Kpakpa Obediah Varney of the Liberia Restoration Party are the leading candidates where 6 others are in the race. Mrs. Lassanah, though running as an independent has the backing of Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) which is not fielding any candidate there officially while Brown’s candidature is being bolstered by the CPP which has 4 of the biggest opposition parties in the country and Varney, who before now was a staunch member of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) but decamped to the LRP after the CDC refused to support his ambition.
Joshua Better of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and Melvin Salvage of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) who will be renewing the bitter rivalry between the two largest parties in the country are the leading candidates in Bong County. It is said that either one of them will be the next Representative to replace Senator Prince Moye
The supremacy of the Coalition for Democratic Challenge featuring Jeremiah Garwo Sokan who works at the National Climate Change secretariat is seriously being challenged in Grand Gedeh County by the Liberia Restoration Party (LRP) being represented by Erol Madison Gwion, a local activist. Both contested the last representative election in 2017 and lost to then Representative Zoe Emmanuel Pennue. While Sokan ran as an independent in 2017, Gwion ran on the ticket of the CDC where in fact he was the county campaign manager. He defected to the LRP after the CDC decided not to hold a primary but went ahead to give the slot to Sokan who had joined the party during the 2020 senatorial election. Four other candidates in the race are said to have dropped out of the race to support Mr. Gwion.
In Nimba County, Lawrence Sua of the CPP is expected to make a strong showing given the combined numerical strength of UP, LP, ANC and ALP while Francis Nya Maweah of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) will also be a major contending. With the backing of arguably the Godfather of Nimba politics, Senator Prince Y. Johnson and another sitting Senator, Jeremiah Kpan Koon and the ruling CDC, he is sure to have a strong outing.
The election is also being seen as a rehearsal against 2023 for both the CDC and CPP who are expected to be the leading contenders during the Presidential and Legislative election. An outright win for either of them will be a plus as the chase for state power is fast being displayed.
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