Monrovia-Former presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential and legislative elections, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, has strongly criticized Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung’s recent calls for Nimbaians to elect a Gio-speaking candidate in the pending April 22, 2025, senatorial by-election in Nimba County.
The Liberia People’s Party (LPP) political leader characterized the vice president’s support for Representative Samuel Kogar of Electoral District Five as divisive tribal politics.
The revered human rights lawyer and former president of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) cautioned the vice president against preaching tribal politics, emphasizing that Nimba County belongs to all its tribes, not just the Gio-speaking community.
Addressing a press conference at his Gongloe and Associates Law Office in Monrovia, Cllr. Gongloe highlighted the pivotal moment Nimba County faces as the senatorial by-election draws closer.
He pointed out that the ruling Unity Party (UP) and its ally, the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) of the late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, already have representation in the Liberian Senate from Nimba.
Cllr. Gongloe, who is the biological brother to lone female senatorial candidate Edith Gongloe Weh, argued that for true balance, the opposition must also secure a seat in the Senate.
Cllr. Gongloe further noted that historically, all original districts of Nimba have produced senators, except for Yarwin-Mehnsonnoh and Gbelley Geh, from where Candidate Gongloe-Weh hails.
He reflected on the past pattern of Senate representation in Nimba County, which ensured balance by electing one senator from upper Nimba and another from lower Nimba.
Nimbaians are set to participate in an upcoming senatorial by-election, which is scheduled for April 22, 2025, to fill the vacancy created by the late Senator Johnson.
Political pundits are of the view that the upcoming by-election presents an opportunity to uphold balanced representation at the Liberian Senate.
