MONROVIA: A historic alignment of two illustrious sons of Bong and Nimba Counties has paired Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe and Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo on the ticket of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) as Presidential Candidate and Vice Presidential Candidate respectively in the October 10, 2023 general elections. The pairing of the two northcentral eminent citizens was consummated on Saturday, July 8, 2023 in Gbarnga, Bong County when well-known human rights advocate, now Standard-bearer of the LPP, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe announced Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo as his Running Mate.
The gathering at which Cllr. Gongloe made the historic declaration was colorful, grand, exciting and historic. It assembled scores of chiefs, elders, businessmen and women, motorcyclists, shoeshine boys, among others who paraded the main streets and ended at the courtyard of the Administrative Building in Gbarnga.
Presenting his Running Mate before a jubilating crowd, numbering 10,000, Cllr. Gongloe, who due to his knack for largely pleading cases for indigent citizens gained him the moniker “Poor Man’s Lawyer”, said he had found a black-diamond in the central region and that person was Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo.
“I want to let you know that I have found a black-diamond, and that person is from District #4. That person is Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, your son who has been working hard for this Country, as my Running Mate”, he noted.
“All those contesting in this election have selected their running mate and I see everyone asking me when will I announce my running mate, but I have been praying and praying that God will give me a very young man who will help me develop this country and that person is Dr. Urey Yarkpawolo.
“The fact is, you cannot compare any of those running mates to the man I am presenting to you today because he is a man with integrity just like me”, Cllr. Gongloe described Dr. Yarkpawolo.
The 66 -year-old vowed to sweep corruption from every corner of Liberia and to ensure social justice and equality.
The renowned Liberian lawyer said poverty in Liberia is “leadership poverty,” urging Liberians to embrace the LPP ticket for the change they have been yearning for over the years. Gongloe said his decision to pick Dr. Yarkpawolo was a headache choosing a God-fearing son that would buy into the idea of reshaping Liberia.
“This is a real generational change, he’s the youngest, brightest, and most experienced of running mates. And we are excited to have him on our side and together we can transform this country,” Cllr. Gongloe said.
Cllr. Gongloe stated that under his leadership, his government will build a corruption-free Liberia.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Yarkpawolo said together they will adequately transform the country. He vowed to promote democracy and justice, adding that they will be keen hard on fighting rampant corruption and prosecute those engulfed with it.
Although not much had been heard about Dr. Urey-Yarkpawolo before his name hit the political limelight last Saturday, Cllr. Gongloe’s running mate is a career academic who was born in Gomue, a small village near the Guinea border in District Number 4 in 1981. His mom, Gormah Yarkpawolo, passed away in 1983 when he was just 2 years old.
He grew up with his aunt, Nyamah Yarkpawolo. His father, Yarkpawolo Taylor, was one of the first persons to learn how to sew clothes in Bong County. Dr. Urey-Yarkpawolo learned how to farm, fish, set traps and cut palms at an early age.
He learned from his father and his aunt early on that the purpose of life was to help others. His father would often advise him to be honest in his dealings with people, not to worry about material things but to appreciate God for what he has.
Dr. Urey-Yarkpawolo graduated from high school in 2005 as the dux, winning eight awards out of 12 subjects and serving as Student Council President. Not only did he obtain his Bachelor’s Degree in 2008 from Cuttington University, he later obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Health (2011) from Cuttington University, a Master’s of Science in Environment and Resources with emphasis in Political Ecology (2013) and a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018.
Dr. Urey-Yarkpawolo also holds a certificate of Leadership with Integrity from Les Aspin Center for Government in Washington D.C. and a certificate in Management & Entrepreneurship from Columbia University in New York.
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