MONROVIA – As anxiety grips the polity on the imminent announcement from the Standard Bearer of the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Mr. Joseph Nyuma Boakai on his choice of running mate during the ensuing general elections, there is a strong indication that the popular Talk Show host, Henry Pedro Costa is in the driver’s seat to emerge as the right pick as insiders from the Unity Party, majority of whom are key decision makers have been pushing his cause, citing his youthfulness, core loyalty to Mr. Boakai, consistency in the advocacy for the emergent of a new dispensation in 2023 under the umbrella of the opposition, resourcefulness, a large followership base, education, innovation among others.
According to the insiders, the position of Vice President should not be another job offer to any person who desires it, but should be given to someone who has that “complementary capacity that will make the presidency of Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai hit the ground running on the day of ascendency so as to deliver on the promises that will be made to the Liberian people by Mr. Boakai during the campaign process”.
“We need to remind ourselves of what Ambassador Boakai has been saying to us that the position of Vice President is the heart beat of the Presidency. The occupant should be someone who will complement the efforts of the president, a strategic partner, a thinker, a trusted ally, a productive mind, an incorruptible patriot, an established achiever, a God fear person, among others.
“It is time to award loyalty and consistency to the cause for the advancement of good governance, rule of law and positive perspective on national development under a government that will emerge from the opposition community. Henry Costa stands taller than all those who making their own cases to be considered as the running mate to Ambassador Boakai”, one of the insiders told this paper and pleaded not to be mentioned in the papers”, one of the leaders of young UP partisans said.
Some of the insiders who are of the younger generation said the choice of Costa will send a clear message to the Liberian people as well as the international community that indeed Liberia is blessed with a huge deposit of talented young people who are endowed with the skills and mindset to be part of the leadership of the country capable enough to bring manifold development in the country.
They also noted that the decision will also make the case of the high number of young people who make the bulk of the entire population of the country.
“It will not be an understatement of the best choice available. It will be an obvious testimony that this country has one of the youngest and resources populations in the world who have what it takes to provide innovation, creativity and the right attitude to change the narrative of what the country should be among other nations who are making tremendous achievement globally”, another supporter of Costa said.
Some of the partisans who spoke to this paper further said it will not be the best thing to discount the quality of other interested persons have to be the running mate but what matters most now is to choose the best person among the bundle of choices available and that the leader of the Council of Patriots (COP) fits the bill. They stated that it looks baffling for people to be talking about long years of public service experience and an older person to be given consideration especially with the intent of denying Mr. Costa, who according to them, has every quality needed to make a good vice president.
“Of what use is the experience if it has not impacted on our people, on their resolve to stand against dictatorship, to fight failed leadership, to call for accountability and transparency, to be consistently the voice of the voiceless.
“Costa has been in the trenches for the Liberian people. Through his advocacy and uncommon leadership skills he has been organizing rallies and led from the front line to speak for the Liberian people. He has not wavered and have made a lot of sacrifices for the opposition community.
“He has been running businesses both in Liberia and America, employing people, impacting lives of Liberians, especially the less privileged. He has done a lot of fundraisers for manifold causes; we could go on and on to say why we want him but let the records speak for themselves and the people must decide what they see in the records.
“May we hasten to say, considering Costa, a young firebrand, a man who will add value to our leadership in this country will not be any kind of reward some people are given for some simple things they do but for him to emerge as VP, we will simply be telling ourselves for him to go there and work for us on a higher platform as Vice President to Ambassador Boakai”, some young UP partisans who are leaning towards him said.
They also spoke about the role played by Costa during the second round of the 2017 presidential elections between then candidate of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and now President, Mr. George Manneh Weah and Mr. Boakai, where according to them, Costa avoided and rejected all the lucrative offers from the CDC and pitched his tent with Mr. Boakai.
They said though UP eventually lost the election, but CDCians cannot forget in the hurry how Costa took the battle to them and became their nightmare and has since been consistent in the struggle against the CDC with Mr. Boakai being the arrowhead of this advocacy.”
Comments are closed.