The secret of unseating incumbent President Dr. George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah of the Ruling Coalition of Congress for Democratic Change in the October 2023 general and presidential elections is simply for the two opposition political parties (UP and ANC) to use all their hard-earned wealth to unseat President Weah, either in round one or in round two.
Here is the cash calculation and strategy. According to Wikipedia, former VP Joseph Nyumah Boakai, the political standard-bearer of the Unity Party (UP), has a Net Worth of about 109 million dollars. He can remit 1 million dollars each to the 16 counties to jump-start his campaign.
The former VP can also set aside $500.000 to purchase 48 pickups and 48 motorbikes, three each for each of the 16 Counties to boost his winning chances against the incumbent Pres. Weah. The VP would have then spent a total of $16.5m and he would be left with $92.5 million.
In the case of Hon. Alexander Benedict Cumming, Jr., Political Leader of Alternative National Congress (ANC), who has also vowed to unseat the incumbent Pres. Weah in 2023, though he has a small Net Worth of about $17 million, according to Wikipedia, he could remit $16 million to the 16 counties with each county getting 1 million dollars each to start his own campaign of unseating President Weah.
ANC Cummings will then be left with 1 million dollars in his coffers for critical political emergencies just in case if, and only if the elections move to its second stage. When the election gets pushed to the second round, both VP Baokia and ANC Cummings can use all their reserved wealth to finally unseat the incumbent in the second round since both of them considered the incumbent President Weah as their common political enemy in the 2023 elections.
The 2023 elections could be challenging and rough because the incumbent, President Weah, has also vowed to win his 2nd term.
According to Wikipedia, the incumbent has a Net Worth of about $85 million to ensure his chances in the 2023 elections in his bid to secure his second term in office. The incumbent could also remit 32 million dollars to the 16 counties, with each County allotted 2 million dollars to boost his chances. Lest we forget, the incumbent is also popular in Liberian politics. The incumbent also has other advantages to frustrate VP Baokia and ANC's Cummings, Jr. The incumbent has an extra 3 million dollars in the 2023 budget for County's tours.
Besides, the incumbent also has colossal state resources to his advantage. These include the use of some government vehicles and government gas slips. The incumbent would also use local officials to help run his campaigns in the various Counties.
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Remember that the incumbent employed all government officials, including ordinary employees, the entire election commissioner team/executive director, the judiciary, and the security apparatus who could secretly campaign for him. Employees owe the incumbent a debt of gratitude to run his campaign and vote for him as a sign of their political loyalty, which is a typical African style of politics.
Liberians should understand that most government officials truly have the back of President Weah in these elections as government employees. With the failure of government officials to vote for incumbent President Weah, they, including the incumbent, would lose their jobs and forfeit their daily loaves of bread in Liberia.
When the incumbent loses power all his followers including government employees and officials will return to poverty sooner rather than later. If these financial strategies do not work for ANC Cummings and UP Boakai, they would undoubtedly be qualified as a defeated political instrument in Liberian history.
