CPP Wants Govt. Protect PYJ’s Life -Calls for Immediate Probe into Assassination Allegation

MONROVIA – In the wake of recent allegations made by Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson that the CDC-led Government of President George Manneh Weah wants to secretly assassinate him because of his refusal to support a Weah second term bid at the 2023 presidential polls, the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) has expressed serious concerns over the alleged threats made against the founder of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR).

In a February 2, 2023 press release signed by CPP National Secretary General, Aloysius Toe and CPP National Chairman, Musa Hassan Bility, the Collaborating Political Parties said it views these statements as very serious, and calls on the Government of Liberia to launch an immediate probe, to ascertain the veracity of the claims, and bring any perpetrator to justice.

“The CPP wishes to remind the Government of Liberia that Senator Johnson, like any Liberian in general, and any political leader in particular, has the constitutionally protected right to criticize the government and the President for bad governance, without fear of secret assassination.

“The CPP calls on the Government to ensure that Senator Johnson has adequate security and protection, to guarantee his safety,” the press release from the CPP stated unequivocally.

It can be recalled that Senator Johnson and his MDR in recent times vowed not to renew the agreement signed October 2017 which ended October 2022, binding their support to the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), due to what the MDR termed as complete breach on the part of the Weah government.

“There is no document any longer binding us. However, they have been appealing to us to support them, but we said no, we have a candidate. And they are desperate for that support. And because they feel we are standing in their way, and they cannot get Nimba support, and they may be the loser, so there are a lot of threats coming against us, especially when I preached on Sunday on the theme: “What you want may not be what you need,” Senator Johnson intoned.

Among a plethora of allegations levelled against the Weah government, Senator Johnson accused President Weah and his government for refusing to pay to the citizens of Nimba County the US$7.5 million that was disbursed into Government accounts as ArcelorMittal Liberia’s commitment to the County Social Development Fund.

Senator Johnson also challenged President Weah to make public the turnover note between the erstwhile administration of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and his (Weah’s) new administration, because, according to Senator Johnson, President Weah lied when he said he inherited a broke economy, when in fact the turnover note allegedly included US$150 million that was inherited by the Weah government.

“This morning, I called a press conference at my office to critique the Annual Message like other political leaders. Since 2018 when Mr. Weah took power, he has always said ‘empty coffers, empty coffers; broken economy’. At one point in time, Madam Sirleaf was abroad and she heard it, and she spoke on VOA, and said she left so much money, if you had tampered with the people’s money, don’t bring it to me. I know about that; because before Ellen could leave power, she declared a moratorium on all government expenditures. No ministry was allowed to spend a cent because she was looking for money to leave behind for the new government. Ellen is my big sister, I have direct access to her house. So I was able to see somewhere the copy of that turnover note, and in that turn over note, what caught my eyes directly was the amount of US$150 million,” Senator Johnson narrated.

Senator Johnson stated that based on his insistence to bring the Weah government to answer to the $150 million inherited from the Sirleaf administration; and his MDR’s decision to field a presidential candidate, his life has been threatened by anti-democratic forces within the Weah government.

The Nimba County senator specifically fingered Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee as the brainchild behind his assassination threats.

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