The opposition Candidate for the District #13, Cornelia Krua-Togba, has taken serious issue with the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change over the manner in which the launch of her political campaign was disrupted, saying that no amount of threats will silence her from speaking on issues of national concern. Instead, Madam Togba said she will continue to speak out to show that the people of District #13 deserves better; and that the ruling government has failed the Liberian people.
In a video cast released Saturday to the public, the Unity Party candidate who explained her ordeal also confirmed that the disruption of her campaign launch on Saturday, November 17, 2018 by the Sabu Unit of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) led by Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee and other top officials of the ruling party including Mulbah Morlu and Solomon George led to the death of at least one lady with several others wounded.
She said she was informed that her supporter, the lady, was stabbed in the New Georgia Estate by the Koijee-led militants and has died from the wounds; “she was a young lady and she just died all because she wants to see democracy works.
According to Mrs. Kruah-Togba, “Jefferson Koijee and his tugs” came on our supporters just because our supporters were exercising their constitutional rights to assemble and to affiliate politically and killed someone’s child.
“She got up this morning with the intention of coming to ensure that District #13 has a new leadership; she got up this morning to ensure that another woman is supported in politics and what did she get – she got killed by Jefferson and his guys; I understand that he had a gun; he shot twice [into the crowd] and they stabbed our supporters.”
Mrs. Kruah-Togba indicated that the President of the Republic of Liberia, Dr. George Manneh Weah, after he had heard that his people killed someone, went to the Iron Factory field and gave support to John Weah, the CDC candidate in the race for the representation of the district; saying that this is the kind of leadership that we voted for.
“When we said here time and time without numbers that these people … have no experience whatsoever in leading people, we were told that we did not know what we were talking about and that this is the time of the CDC,” Mrs. Kruah-Togba said.
Hear Madam Togba: “This is the kind of wicked leadership we have in Liberia, where everyone has to bow down unto you. And I can assure you that not everyone will bow down to you. I, for one person, will not bow; I will not support anything that resembles CDC. You cannot deprive people of their rights. After all not everybody will support your government; and we do not have to support you. And we want to unseat you in the district.”
The Liberty Party political leader, Mrs. Kruah-Togba said, was at her launch – a political rally at the Nigerian Shop inside New Georgia, very far away from where they were having their rally when they were attacked by the CDC tugs.
Candidate Kruah-Togba said the Liberty Party political leader fled into hiding as a result of the CDC attack on her supporters, likewise herself because the CDCians said they will go to her house. The Unity Party candidate further explained that some of her supporters escaped with the Liberty Party executives into safety.
She said this was not the first threat; they’ve threatened her some time ago that they were going to burn down her house because she was standing against the CDC’s representative candidate, saying that a seemingly fulfillment of the threat was last Saturday led by Jefferson Koijee who, she said, had a gun and shot twice in the crowd – trying to make sure that her supporters did not assemble.
“But that did not work. You have become more unpopular in District #13. You are a weak government; a government that has to act like an opposition; a government that will take knives and cutlasses to kill people.” she said in a strongly worded video statement released on social media.
Commenting on the wounded people from the attack on her political rally, Mrs. Kruah-Togba said the Koijee-led group stabbed a guy in his head with the knife; gashed another on his chin with a cutlass; and stabbed a young lady in her stomach and she died while noting that the CDC government said they are ok; gathered at the Iron Factory Field where the President lifted the hand of John Weah.
“I think you have crossed the line of the people of District #13. District #13 is not your farm. You … paid [people] … to come and harm my people,” Candidate Kruah-Togba said.
Madam Kruah-Togba accused the Sabu unit of the CDC as the instrument used to conduct the violence; “the same berets they wore when they went to do their press conference against my father who is an official of their government that I will never support, the same young people; same Jefferson Koijee with cutlass in his hand; the same Mulbah Morlue with cutlass in his hand; the Solomon George with cutlass in his hand and they are telling their supporters to stab and kill anyone they find on my side …,” she exclaimed.
She said the CDC government has failed, noting that it has not only become a corrupt government, but one that is desperate for power.
“The people of District #13 are done with you. You are not going to lead this district. You are a wanton president; if you even reach wanton you must be grateful. You are not the people’s choice, and I am going to do a formal complaint to the National Elections Commission because they are under obligation to protect all candidates this time,” she asserted.
She said she was permitted by the National Election Commission to launch her campaign at the Nigerian Shop area in New Georgia and also went to the Liberia National Police which provided her with two police officers.
“And in the midst of the two police officers, they still managed to kill an innocent person. Right now I am at risk. I am currently hiding from my house. I am currently hiding from one house to another because they are in the community searching,” she alleged. She indicated that the CDCians are searching on the order of Jefferson Koijee that once they lay their hands on her, they should ensure that the harm her.
Candidate Kruah-Togba said emphasized that the CDCians are not joking on their threats against her as evident by the alleged killing of someone, noting that this is not the government that the Liberian people signed up for.
. Koijee should be sitting in the Monrovia City Hall to find resources and he doesn’t. The Ambulances are taking people into different hospitals and we don’t know they will survive it. For our district deserved better. For the first time CDC saw defeat stirs in their face and they cannot stand it.”