Vice President Koung links former ruling CDC to a plot to politically divide the people of Nimba County ahead of the next elections in 2029.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Nimba, Liberia, April 21, 2025 – Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung says he is heavily involved with the Nimba County senatorial by-election to prevent and resist the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) from executing its political plot in the county.
Vice President Koung accuses the CDC of masterminding a plot to divide and split the votes of Nimba in 2029 and disunite the people.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai declars tomorrow, Tuesday, a public holiday in Nimba for the senatorial by-election intended to fill a vacant created by the passing of Senator Prince Yormie Johnson late last year.
Speaking over the weekend on Radio Nimba, VP Koung noted that Tuesday’s (April 22, 2025) senatorial by-election in Nimba is not a mere by-election, rather, he says it’s a well thought out political plot properly arranged and calculated by the CDC to intrude into Nimba political dominance and eventually, to destroy the county’s electoral college and voice.
“Now, I could have sat in Monrovia and watched the election play, but the election is just bigger than just senatorial election. There are many people who want to divide this county politically, especially vote-wise. There are many who are afraid of the strength of Nimba. And so, they believe that to break Nimba into pieces will be a way out for them. The same people that we went against in the 2023 Presidential election, Coalition for Democratic Change or CDC, they sit down and calculated that if only Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh is fielded in the election, and can go in and if she wins, the Dahn people will start to argue about dividing Nimba because there will be two Mahn senators therefore, they can capitalize on that in the future to split the vote in Nimba comes 2029 during the Presidential election. Now, I’m here to protect Nimba Electoral College, voting decision strength, and maintain our tribal political balance.” VP Koung says.
He notes that the CDC believes that if Nimba County were to split and votes were divided, the county will lose its political and electoral power, especially in the absence of late Senator Prince Y. Johnson, who used to keep the county and its people together.
However, he points out that the CDC knows that with only Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh contesting, Representative Samuel Kogar of the MDR will win the senator by-election, because his (Rep. Kogar’s) mother is also from the Mahn ethnic tribe, as Edith is.
Therefore, he says they planted two extra candidates to destroy the votes of the Dahn people of Kogar, Mark, and Yealue, to enable Gongloe-Weh to win, thus igniting confusion and disunity in the county, which will give the CDC strength and capacity in Nimba 2029 to split the votes.
“These are political thinking, and we all are thinking. We are all thinking as if we went to the same school. So, all this is happening to ensure that we, the people of Nimba, don’t go to the election united in 2029. They don’t want Nimba united in 2029, because Nimba has proven political dominance. Since 1997, Nimba has continued to make President. 2005 and 2011 second round, Nimba voted for Ellen. Also, in 2017, Nimba decided to carry former President George M. Weah, and he won. In 2023, Nimba again decided to give it to President Joseph N. Boakai, and he is President today. So, they don’t want Nimba County together for 2029, especially in the absence of Senator Johnson.”
Koung maintains that he a responsibility to tell the people of Nimba about the CDC’s alleged political plot that may likely weaken the strength of Nimba, if his insights are not given attention and ignored.
“If our people don’t listen, it’s up to them. If our children in the future come and ask how Nimba political dominance and electoral strengthen has reduced, or how we lost it, the record will show that I came to Radio Nimba and spoke but the people didn’t listen”, he adds.
Reflecting historically, he recalls that in 1964, from the formation of Nimba, the county initiated a traditional balance senatorial representation to avoid conflict and disunity, which most time is represented by the two major dominant tribe, manor (Dah) and Gio or Mah.
Also in 1985, VP Koung recalls that during the Administration of former President Samuel K. Doe, the county maintained its traditional balance, following negotiations with President Doe by the Elder Council of Nimba, since at the time they had both representatives from the same tribe.
He recounts that in 1997 and 2005, during the administrations of former President Charles Taylor and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the county similarly upheld its traditional tribal balance.
However, he says this was destroyed in 2011, four months to the election when Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh, after deciding to support someone, later summersaulted and decided to contest the senatorial election.
“Madam Sirleaf called Edith Gongloe-Weh to her office and asked her to forget about the election, on grounds that there is a possibility that the Mah People could lose the seat, and promised to make her a minister when she wins for the second time. But Madam Gongloe-Weh refused, and that’s how Madam Sirleaf fired her as Superintendent. She went in the election and came second. Because they shared the votes, the Mah People lost the seat for the first time since 1964, and she did that because of greed”, he alleged.
Still on the female candidate now seems a major threat to is candidate, Samuel Kogar, the Vice President narrates that because of her action, some citizens of Nimba County from the United States and local, began to opt for the division of the county on grounds that the leadership is not balance, something he notes, sparked serious disunity and he had to fight a bill in the senate.
“When Senator Thomas Ghopee administration finished, I contested and won the election. We had Senator Prince Y. Johnson and myself from the same tribe and the division and arguments were many and remain. The elders came to visit me and said that the tradition that was destroyed because our daughter didn’t listen, this is the time to fix it because I’m at the second highest seat in the county. That is how I told Senator Johnson and he announced the current Mah senator and he won the election, restoring our culture traditional and tribal balance to keep unity and peace”, he explains.
He says it’s time for the seat to return to the Dah people to have a balanced county representation, therefore, Madam Gongloe-Weh should not be given the space before she destroyed the tradition, as she allegedly did years ago.
“So, now Nimba needs a senator who will not go and learn on the job. So, Madam Gongloe-Weh is qualified like others, but the Senate is not the place to go and learn at this time. Nimba will miss many things if we allow that to happen. Also, the county has been very quiet and peaceful because of the balanced leadership; therefore, we must continue on the path of no one tribe occupying the two seats. I told Madam Gongloe-Weh and several others to back off, but they didn’t listen”, the Vice President laments.
Candidate Edith Gongloe-Weh is the only female in the race, vying against six male candidates, including VP Koung and the ruling Unity Party’s choice, current Representative Samuel Kogar. She has the blessing of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, and women’s groups here. Editing by Jonathan Browne
