MONROVIA – Despite pockets of misgivings and demurrals over the ambition of former State for Presidential Minister Nathaniel McGill to contest for a political post in the central province of Margibi, the citizens in their mass continue to demonstrate affection and approval. Nearly every corner of the county is clamoring to show their thumps-up to Mr. McGill’s 2023 senatorial bid, and they citizens are doing so by turning out in their numbers to register their endorsement. The latest political subdivision of the county to come forward is District #5 which over the weekend showed a groundswell of solidarity and support, as The Analyst reports.
The quiet community of Weala, Margibi County came up alive on Friday, November 11, 2022, when thousands of citizens and other residents of District #5, Margibi County stormed the area to witness the former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel Farlo McGill, snatching another very important and huge endorsement relative to his 2023 senatorial bid. The citizens said they were coming out to show in concrete terms their vow to ensuring that he gets a resounding victory in 2023.
The mobilization and preparation which has been going on for some weeks hit the ground earlier in the day when citizens and residents as well as other invited guests and friends of the politicians started trooping in the town amid singing, dancing and chanting of solidarity slogans and playing jingles from supporters and partisans of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
The strong contingent of supporters and others who joined the march through the town were singing out loud, “Your leave them, that McGill will open their eyes”, a song which resonated well with the people, according to our reporter who covered the program.
There were vehicular and human hiccups on the highway and other access routes connecting various communities in Weala due to the huge turnout as citizens eager to be part and parcel of the historic ceremony.
After the welcome formalities which also included the traditional rites, the ceremony picked up with McGill accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Vivian Innis McGill and entourage from Monrovia being swarmed on by the huge crowd as they took their seats.
With guest artists entertaining at time intervals, various speakers representing women groups, elders, students, farmers, market women, among others took their turns where Mr. McGill was praised for his many humanitarian services and other interventions to the people and institutions. They this this justified their support for his senatorial bid on the quantum of assistance he has given to the people.
Reading the endorsement statement from the citizens, a prominent citizen in the District, Mr. Andrew Yancy, said he was excited to be a part of the epoch-making gathering. He spoke exceedingly of what led the citizens’ decision to turn out en mass to endorse the former Presidential Chief of Office Staff, as a way of making a promise to deliver victory to Mr. McGill come 2023.
He said there was no other time the county and its people had ever wished to have someone of status of the former National Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Congress contest as their senator; something he said will bring in more dividends to them, including unifying the people and bringing in meaningful developments to the county.
“Mr. McGill, you are coming to Margibi County at a time when our county is more divisive, full of hatred, deceit and sycophancy,” Mr. Yancy said. “Most of our kinsmen are trading dignity and morals for money to canvass for intolerant and abusive leaders who care only for power and not for the people. This is the kind of Margibi you stand to inherit.”
He told Mr. McGill that the petition he was receiving in Unification Town on October 28, 2022 was not a mistake, but that it was “destined as a sign of divine instruction and purpose for you to come and unify this great county, Margibi County”.
He continued: “As proof of the conscious obedience to the divine purpose of God, you informed us, the people of Margibi; you told us that you are here not to fight anybody but to develop our county and people. We believe you are a kind hearted man, a man of peace. So we say to you that if any one comes to you, do not fight them. Leave your fight to God, it is only God that fights for a country.”
Mr. Yancy recalled that in 2011, 2014 and 2020 the district voted for three different senators, but two of them turned out to be complete betrayal to the interest of the people who voted for them and vowed never again to repeat their mistakes by electing the wrong persons to the senate.
He then enumerated the many assistance and interventions McGill has made to the county, among them the provision of LD15m for over 7,000 students in Margibi county, paying the entrance fees for 400 graduates of the Lango Lippaye and Harbel Multilateral High School at the University of Liberia and payment of US$$5,000 towards the project of the graduating class of the Harbel Multilateral High School.
Other intervention of Mr. Mcgill, according to the petitioners, are the donation of LD500,000 to the Kakata Intellectual Forum to build the capacity of the members, LD1million towards the women empowerment project, paying the travel cost of 6 pastors from the county to the State of Israel for holy pilgrimage and the pledge to construct the Gibi road to solve the accessibility problem in the area.
The statement of petition continued: “Honorable McGill, the thousands of people you see here today from every corner of District 5, they have come here with one piece of information. They have come from far and near and those who have loved to come here today but are not here are saying that they are behind you on this historic occasion. In this manner, we the people of District #5 have overwhelmingly agreed, accepted, confirmed and endorsed you as our candidate for the 2023 senatorial election. God bless you, God bless Liberia.”
The endorsement statement was then passed on to the elders and traditional rulers who were present and they, after speaking and echoing the contents of the statement in the Kpelle vernacular, presented it to Mr. McGill who was beaming in smile and laughter and facial expression of his happiness.
Receiving the endorsement, McGill thanked the people of District #5 for the honor done to him and their resolve to have him elected in 2023 as their senator as well as stating in clear terms what informed his decision to contest the race.
He said: “When I was petitioned on the 28th of October, 2022, I told the people that I am for unity. I am coming to Margibi to work with everybody in Margibi so we can bring development to Margibi. I know some people already have fear and say all kinds of things to divide the people but it is not my concern because when God is ready to do something for you, you cannot understand it. God is about to do good things for the people of Margibi.”
He discounted the insinuations making the rounds that he and Senator Emmanuel Nuquay are not on good speaking terms and that the senator will undermine his electoral project in the county.
“Let me tell you that Senator Emmanuel Nuquay is my best friend. We have been friends since 2007 and I want to tell you that I have no problem with Senator Nuquay. I am here to work with Senator Emmanuel Nuquay to bring development to Margibi County,” he told the citizens.
“It is time to work together for the unity and development of the county. I can tell you that, with Nuquay and McGill as senators, Margibi County will be one of the greatest counties in Liberia. You can’t have any other better senators than Emmanuel Nuquay and Nathaniel McGill. If you have George Weah as the President and Nuquay and McGill as senators, I can tell you Margibi will be the greatest county in Liberia.”
He told the people that their decision to endorse him will not be regretted as he will make sure that dividend of their support will be reciprocated through meaningful development like women empowerment, massive enrolment and support for children in schools, etc.
Mr. McGill called on the citizens of Margibi to unite, adding, “Let unity be the bedrock; let the problem of every citizen of Margibi county be the problem for every one of us.”
The latest show of massive support through petitions and endorsement sfrom the citizens of District #1, Margibi County on October 28, 2022 is expected to spread throughout the county.
According political pundits, from the way the outreach and citizen engagements are being structured and pursued by those charged with the responsibilities to drive the process, it is highly likely McGill could clinch the senatorial seat of Margibi in 2023.
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