MONROVIA – In what he described as a spirit of reconciliation, Talk Show host, Henry P. Costa has apologized to Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung for the uncomplimentary remarks he made against the Senator in the wake of what has been regarded as a scramble for the vice presidential pick for former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party.
Costa made the overtures over the weekend when he posted on his official facebook page to inform his audience how he had reached out to the Nimba County Senator who is also the political leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconciliation (MDR).
“On Saturday, I reached out to Senator Jeremiah Koung, Political Leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconciliation (MDR), in the spirit of reconciliation. I offered to him my sincerest apologies for the unfortunate comments I made about him on The Costa Show sometime last week, in the spur of the moment. Senator Koung was graciously magnanimous and accepted. He expressed his admiration for the work we do for our beloved country. We both agreed to mend fences and move on. It was a good call.
“Let’s continue to Think of Liberia, Love Liberia, and come together to Build Liberia for the benefit of us all! May God bless you and save our Motherland”!, he said.
It can be recalled that Costa while speaking on his show recently and making a strong case why he should be picked ahead of other contenders to the running mate position for Mr. Boakai, made some untoward statements about Senator Koung, derogatorily referring to him as “the man who can sell human parts” and a CDCian who has been supporting President George Manneh Weah until things fell apart.
The Talk Show host who was responding to insinuations making the rounds that members of his All Liberia Party (ALP), which included ALP political leader Benoni Wilfred Urey and his daughter Telia and others believed to be financiers had invited Mr. Boakai to a meeting in Accra, Ghana and prevailed on Ambassador Boakai to pick Henry Costa ahead of other contenders as running mate with a promise of a financial war chest of USD 5 million to bankroll the campaign process. He said that his name being mentioned among the leading contenders was not his making or even the former VP but by prominent Liberians who believed in him.
“I did not insert myself into the conversation to become Vice President to Joseph Nyuma Boakai. I never put myself in that conversation. Is there any conversation for Henry Costa to be picked for VP? Are people inside and outside of the country who support it? Yes.
“A lot of people support it. Ordinary people, powerful people, super rich people. I didn’t put myself forward for VP. There are things I don’t want to say here but there are things I will say. Is there any conversation about Henry P. Costa being picked by His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai? Yes, there was a conversation. That conversation wasn’t initiated by Henry Costa. The conversation was not initiated by Joseph Nyuma Boakai”, he said.
The utterances of Costa did not go well with some people in the opposition community, especially those who are supporters of Mr. Boakai yearning for opposition unity despite maintaining their individual differences.
Several persons who participated on his show, while expressing admiration for his work within the opposition, also told Costa that his remarks were needless and may not augur well for the opposition.
The latest olive branch extended to Senator Koung from Costa, who is also a leader of the Council of Patriots (COP), is seen as the right step to heal some frayed nerves and bring in the necessary unity needed within the opposition bloc as they face the task of contesting against the CDC ticket which has already being established wherein the ruling establishment has decided to stick with the Weah-Taylor ticket in the ensuing election.
Meanwhile the COP leader, in another Facebook post over the weekend also directed his supporters to disengage from making any statements on behalf of the group or himself that will have the potential of creating unnecessary confusion.
“As Chairman of the Council of Patriots (CoP), I would like to appeal to all of our members and officials to avoid issuing or making any political statements in the name of our beloved movement, whether in my defence or not. We are a pro-democracy advocacy group and not a political organization. The CoP doesn’t belong to Henry Costa, it belongs to the Liberian people, and as such, it should not be used to further or support my political aspirations, let alone fight my political battles. This battle is not mine to fight, it’s the Lord’s, therefore, I am remaining calm and peaceful while the Lord does His work! May God bless you all. God has ordered me to be still while He works! I love you all”, he said.
Costa sis a clown. No further comments are required.