A prominent son of Grand Bassa County, Mr. Daniel Chea, has warned his fellow Bassaians not to see the death of Senator Johnson Frances Whitefield as a political opportunity. Mr. Chea, a former Minister of Defense under the regime of former Liberian President, Charles Ghankay Taylor, wants his fellow Bassaians to see the death of Senator Whitefield as a great loss to the people of Grand Bassa County and Liberia at large and not political vacancy created.

He sounded the caveat on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 when he spoke in an interview with the state owned Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS). Senator Whitefield, who represented Grand Bassa County in the Liberian Senate on the ticket of the former ruling National Patriotic Party(NPP), died Thursday, January 17, 2017 at the Saint Joseph's Catholic Hospital in Monrovia, following an abrupt illness. Senator Whitefield' death has sent shock waves across the country, with many Liberians expressing sadness over his demise. They described the death of the Grand Bassa County lawmaker as an irreparable loss not only to Grand Bassa County, but the country as a whole.

So far, the Heritage has not gotten any medical report concerning the cause of the Grand Bassa lawmaker's death. Mr. Chea, who lost the Senatorial seat to the late Senator Whitefield in the 2011 Presidential and Legislative Elections, also described the death of the fallen lawmaker as a big blow to the country.

Though there may be political rivalry and differences, he said the people of Grand Bassa County must firstly concentrate on the great loss suffered. "Though both of us contested 2011 elections on different tickets, but our relationship remained the same up to his death. Our relationship goes back to the days of NPFL and the NPP government. We have had the best of all relationship," the former Defense Minister among other things added.