Liberia: ‘VP Jeremiah Koung and I Are Running’ – Nimba Senatorial Candidate Edith Gongloe Weh Blasts VP Koung for Campaigning, Accuses Him of Vote Buying
Saclepea — Although Vice President Jeremiah Koung is not listed on the ballot for the upcoming Nimba County Senatorial By-Election, he is actively contesting the race, says Edith Gongloe Weh, the only female candidate in the highly contested election.
Weh, who previously lost to Koung in the controversial 2020 Special Senatorial Election, is once again facing off against the Vice President–this time indirectly, as Koung throws his full weight behind Representative Samuel Kogar, the candidate of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), a party that has received the endorsement of the ruling Unity Party.
“For more than a week now, Vice President Koung has been traveling across Nimba County–town to town, village to village–vigorously campaigning for Kogar,” Weh told supporters during a campaign rally in Saclepea.
According to her, Koung’s presence on the campaign trail suggests he is the real opponent.
“The Vice President made it like he and myself are the ones running,” she said. “He left his official duties in Monrovia. He’s moving around in the Vice-Presidential motorcade. So, my people, it’s Jeremiah Koung and myself who are running–but we will beat him.”
She added, “Since we made him Vice President and he still wants to be Senator at all cost, you’ll vote for me–and we will beat him again.”
Weh also accused Koung of attempting to buy votes by distributing large sums of money across the county–an accusation similar to one previously made by the Youth League of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change.
In a video posted on the Facebook page Closing Argument, the Vice President is seen allegedly handing out money to youth, women, and elders’ groups in various communities in Nimba.
“What kind of shame is that?” Weh asked. “You (VP Koung) take the people’s money and run up and down in the night cutting deals–when he sees a group, he says ‘vote for my candidate, here’s 150,000 Liberian Dollars.’ Was he giving it out before?”
She continued: “He broke ground for projects all over Nimba County in 2023, but he hasn’t fixed a single road yet. Now, instead of delivering on those promises, he’s bringing bags of money to divide the people.”
Weh urged Nimbaians to reject Kogar, accusing him of contributing to the decline of integrity within the House of Representatives.
“We want someone who will make Nimba proud. We don’t want people insulting us or saying we are rude and lawless,” she said. “We are not rude people; we respect the law.”
By FrontPageAfrica.
