All that animosity seemed to melt away Saturday night when, before a crowd of hundreds of Bong County natives in the diaspora, Rep. Cole (left) publicly reconciled with Moye (right) in a moment that stunned many and drew thunderous applause.
Gbarnga, Bong County – Saturday’s dramatic reconciliation between Senator Prince K. Moye and Representative Josiah Marvin Cole at the 2025 United Bong County Association in the Americas (UBCAA) convention in Kentucky was not just a symbolic act of unity between two longtime adversaries. It was, by every political metric, a seismic shift in the county’s political landscape — one that placed Senator Moye in the strongest position of his political career and dealt a heavy blow to what remained of his local opposition.
By Selma Lomax | [email protected]
For over a decade, Senator Moye and Rep. Cole have stood on opposite sides of Bong County’s political spectrum. Their rivalry dated back to 2017 when Moye, then a Representative, supported businessman Orando Zarwolo against Cole in District Three. Rep. Cole won that election, and three years later returned the favor by backing then-Senator Henry Yallah against Senator Moye in the 2020 senatorial race. This time, Senator Moye emerged victorious.
The feud escalated in the run-up to the 2023 general elections. With the Unity Party rising as a serious challenger to the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Senator Moye became a key opposition figure, eventually winning the post of Bong Legislative Caucus Chair after the Unity Party took the presidency. Cole, a CDC stalwart, resisted his leadership, calling Senator Moye “divisive” and withdrawing from the caucus.
But all that animosity seemed to melt away Saturday night when, before a crowd of hundreds of Bong County natives in the diaspora, Rep. Cole publicly reconciled with Moye in a moment that stunned many and drew thunderous applause.
“If we have the same opportunity to become President of Liberia, I will step aside and allow you to go,” Rep. Cole said as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Moye, both men beaming. “I want to personally appeal to Senator Moye, my brother and friend, that the people of the United States of America from home and abroad have touched my heart, and today I let go of everything I have ever held against you,” he added, his voice cracking with emotion. “Senator Moye is the senior senator of Bong County. I have made one solemn vow and commitment: I will never, until I leave this Earth, speak against Senator Moye in public.”
Those words, coming from a man long seen as Senator Moye’s strongest rival, were more than a personal reconciliation. They represented a political submission, a relinquishing of resistance, and a clear signal that Senator Moye now holds unmatched political capital in Bong County.
Representative Eugene Kollie, another vocal Senator Moye critic and member of the CDC, echoed the sentiment. “I want to join this reconciliation process. I am calling Senator Moye the father of Bong County,” Rep. Kollie said. “We will work together from now on.”
For Senator Moye, the moment was both emotional and strategic. Visibly moved, he responded with a tone of statesmanship. “I want to make this commitment that no day I will go public against Rep. Cole. If I have issues with him, I will pick up the telephone and call him,” Moye said. “Rep. Cole and myself have huge potential. If we harness it together, we can develop Bong County.”
The reconciliation was not spontaneous. Senator Moye had been laying the groundwork in private. Before arriving in the United States, he reportedly instructed Junior Senator Johnny Kpehe to reach out to both Rep. Cole and Rep. Kollie to prepare them for a public reconciliation.
Among those visibly emotional was Bong County Superintendent Loleya Hawa Norris. “This is what we’ve been praying for,” she said. “This moment proves that unity is possible. It gives us hope for development, for collaboration, for a better Bong County.”
Senator Johnny Kpehe, one of the key facilitators behind the scenes, said, “This is what I had hoped for – a united Bong County Legislative Caucus. There is a lot we can achieve as a county when we are united. I want to appreciate Representatives Eugene Kollie, Marvin Cole, and our senior Senator Prince Moye for putting aside their differences.”
Representative Moima Briggs Mensah of District Six, another caucus member, shared her excitement on social media. “My deepest thanks to my brothers Sen. Prince K. Moye, Rep. Marvin Cole, and Hon. Eugene Kollie for this powerful moment of reconciliation. I’m literally in tears. This is the Bong County we’ve been longing for,” she posted. “To the United Bong County Association in the Americas (UBCAA), President Karmon, Dr. George Toto, Superintendent Hawa Norris and everyone who played a role, thank you for believing in the dream of peace and unity. Your efforts made this moment possible. Today, we made history.”
She continued, “We’ve proven that One Bong County isn’t just a dream but it’s alive. It’s real. And it’s ours. Today is a happy day. One Bong. One People. One Future. Cheers to every proud citizen of Bong County at home and in the diaspora. On behalf of the caucus members home, we await you guys to have a home celebration.”
Joy Scott, another Bong County native, added, “I’m overwhelmed with emotions right now. My deepest thanks to my brothers Sen. Prince K. Moye, Rep. Marvin Cole, and Hon. Eugene Kollie for this powerful moment of reconciliation. I’m literally in tears. This is the Bong County we’ve been longing for.”
Though the emotional and symbolic resonance of the event was overwhelming, its political implications are even more significant. With Rep. Cole and Kollie now offering support — or at least pledging neutrality — Senator Moye has effectively dismantled the internal opposition that once loomed over every major move he made in the county.
This political shift leaves Representative Edward Karfiah, of the People’s Unification Party (PUP), increasingly isolated. Karfiah, who finished second in the 2023 senatorial race behind Johnny Kpehe with over 54,000 votes, was heavily backed by both Rep. Cole and Rep. Kollie. Without their support, any future senatorial ambition Karfiah harbors for 2029 becomes much harder to realize.
If Senator Moye chooses to contest for re-election in 2029, his path would be clear. By Rep. Cole’s own admission, he will not campaign against Moye, and with Rep. Kollie praising him publicly, Moye would walk into the race with support from both the CDC and the newly established Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), led by Rep. Cole.
Beyond that, he already commands loyalty from key legislative allies, including Senator Johnny Kpehe, who earned over 78,000 votes in 2023 — the highest in Bong County’s senatorial history — Representatives Prince Koinah (Unity Party), Robert Womba (Unity Party), Moima Briggs Mensah (Independent), and others. That lineup represents one of the most formidable coalitions in the county’s modern political history.
The prospect of such overwhelming bipartisan and independent support makes any serious challenge to Senator Moye in 2029 almost inconceivable. But his ambitions may not be limited to Bong County. Within national political circles, there is growing speculation that if President Joseph Boakai decides not to seek a second term in 2029, Senator Moye could become a prime candidate for the vice presidency under a likely Unity Party ticket led by Jeremiah Koung.
Such a Koung-Moye pairing would be both politically and geographically strategic. It would balance the Unity Party’s power between Nimba and Bong — two key vote-rich counties — and would symbolize a generational shift in Liberian politics. Senator Moye, with his years of legislative experience and now a near-total political consolidation in Bong, would bring invaluable electoral strength to a national ticket.
At the local level, the reconciliation has already begun to yield promises of better governance. Bong County has long suffered from a lack of coordination among its legislators, stalling infrastructure projects and delaying budgetary disbursements. A united caucus, led by a now politically untouchable Senator Moye, could finally unlock the county’s development potential.
Still, not everyone is convinced that this new unity will last. Some residents and political commentators on social media were skeptical. “They are just pretending,” one commenter wrote. Another warned, “This reconciliation won’t last.”
Despite the skepticism, the impact of Saturday’s reconciliation cannot be understated. It has reshaped the power dynamics in Bong County, established Senator Moye as the central political figure with cross-party appeal, and opened the door for a new era of unity-driven leadership.
Whether he remains in the Senate or moves to the Executive Mansion, Senator Moye is now in a commanding position. He didn’t have to defeat his enemies in the next election — they bowed to him in public, with words and gestures that symbolized surrender, unity, and political reverence.
