Monrovia — Over the past month or so, the public and followers of politics have been on the edge eagerly waiting to know who the opposition Unity Party standard bearer Joseph Boakai's running mate would be.
This is something that Boakai is probably holding close to his chest, or perhaps, he's yet to decide.
Alexander Cummings, also a front-runner from the opposition bloc is also yet to name a running mate.
Unlike Cummings, Boakai, a former Vice President of 12 years under the Sirleaf regime, is particularly expected by the public to be well-grounded in the maneuverings of Liberian politics. Sadly, to many, this is not the case. But could this be a political tactic being employed by the opposition?
In the midst of their delay, there have been multiple calls from political stakeholders and even ordinary citizens on the need for the two men to merge their forces on one ticket. For many, that's the surest way of defeating the incumbent, President George Weah, whose popularity without any public service experience kept ex-President Sirleaf on her toes in the 2005 and 2011 elections. All Weah had at the time was his popularity gained in several international stadiums across the globe. Sirleaf was formidable and only Weah could come close to her in those elections.
But now, with five years into the presidency, Weah is not just a former soccer star but now an incumbent who has gained some experience in the in toto of politics with a more solidified political base, even at the international level.
So, while many may think that the flaws of his administration would be the trump card for his defeat in the October elections, it's quite easy not to recognize that Weah has built for himself some formidable allies he didn't have access to in the 2017 elections which he remarkably won. These allies could pull the strings and for the voters - an overnight impression just days to the elections can be a game changer.
So, winning Weah as an opposition now takes more than just trumpeting his flaws, such a message does resonate with all, especially when the Unity Party also stands criticized for the same flaws Weah is being accused of.
However, an opposition ticket that represents the aspirations and hopes of Liberians could be a sliding road for Weah out of the Executive Mansion after the October elections and its likely runoff.
Picking a running mate is a tricky choice to make. This choice could either create a more widespread appeal for the ticket to a larger base of people or deter voters who were initially inclined to vote for the running candidate but may have been put off by the choice of the running mate. It is, therefore, understandable why there is a drag in making this decision among the opposition political figures.
Nevertheless, this situation could also be playing to the advantage of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change whose chairman, Mulbah Morlu, over the weekend, described the opposition as "lazy". At the launch of the Biometric Voter Registration awareness by the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP), a constituent member of the CDC, Chairman Morlu said, "We are not the lazy opponent that is still jointly struggling to find a running mate. If they will take forever to find a running mate, it means they were not prepared to even contest the presidential and general elections."
Morlu went on to say, "It is a risk, a national security risk to give our country to people who are ill-prepared to lead our country." His assertions are rooted in the fact that neither of the opposition candidates seems to have boldly decided their potential vice president.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica on his perspective on the delay by the opposition in naming running mates despite being gradually caught on with time, a Senior Policy and Governance Expert who preferred anonymity opined that naming a running mate or a vice standard bearer is one of the most significant decisions in a race.
"While it's germane to weigh your decisions on the pick regarding the potential for attracting additional votes and background checks, it's fair to announce early," he said.
He further opined that naming a vice standard at this point in time is essential to impact the voter registration process as vice standard bearers usually use their preferments to woo more support in their constituencies.
He said, an early naming gives early feedback and the space to work on soft spots that could be picked on by opponents in the race.
"You can then work on areas needing strengthening and repelling. Besides, it incentivizes donation decisions. By donations, I'm talking here about investments (because people don't donate to campaigns. They rather invest for future favors). Campaign funders would then need time to raise the resources based on the favorability of the ticket. When the is chosen earlier, it provides ample time to prepare campaign materials to demonstrate visibility. To print in large quantities from Asia, you would need time," he said.
He suggested that the presumptive candidate must take steps to announce a Search Committee for a possible vice standard bearer selection. The presidential candidate should share the attributes needed with the search team and mandate the team to use it as a guide. That team, with the requested timeline, is supposed to furnish the standard bearer with a shortlist, which he/she can narrow and appoint.
Mr. Abdoulaye Dukule, an accomplished Senior Communications Specialist and an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University told FrontPageAfrica upon request of his perspective, that it really doesn't matter when a running mate is announced. "It all depends on the candidate's strategy," he said. He, however, lamented that too much attention is paid to ethnic politics in Liberia.
Also weighing in on whether or not it is important for the opposition frontrunners to name their running mates early, Mr. George Wisner, who headed the National Bureau of Concession during the regime of Madam Sirleaf, said the delay has raised a lot of concern among the public because of the effect the delay had on Joseph Boakai's campaign in the 2017 elections.
He said, with Joseph Boakai, his partisans and the nation are eager to know which vice standard bearer he would put forth so that if there is any backlash, they can start to repair it. The delay in his view is leaving many to question his judgment.
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Wisner further opined that in the case of Cummings, people are jittery because people don't have the same traction as Boakai and Weah, therefore, a running mate for Cummings is important to fill that gap to help him run up the numbers.
"So, people are waiting to see whom he can get so they can rally the numbers and change this public perception about winnability because in the end, in Liberia, whether we like it or not, candidates are not elected because they're qualified. Recent political history shows that most Liberians elect a candidate because they think the candidate is going to win. It's a tragedy for us but until we change it, this is what Cummings is faced with. So, people are anxious to know who his running mate is - that will be able to fill that gap," he said.
He continued: "In the case of Boakai, he does not have many issues with name recognition, but people are concerned because of his age, and his health situation. Anybody Boakai selects automatically becomes the next President because where he is now, anything can happen to him - he's old. Even if he remains healthy, over 80 years old, he may not have the strength to run the country. People are jittery because they do not trust his sense of judgment. The last time, when all of the good candidates were presented, he rejected and people thought he was bringing somebody better and he ended up with Nuquay. Now, people are asking, is it going to be Nyonblee, is it going to be Koung, is it going to be Costa because electing Boakai is electing his vice standard bearer as President because he is not able to rule the country."
