Gbarnga — Nine senatorial aspirants -- including one woman -- are in the running to become the next senator of Bong County. Liberia will head to the polls to elect a new president, 73 new representatives and 15 new senators on October 10th this year.
Who are the main aspirants in Bong?
According to some analysts, the four contenders are the People's Unification Party (PUP) lawmaker Edward Karfiah, who's in his early 50s, incumbent senator Henrique Tokpah, believed to be in his late 70s, and Ranney Jackson, former superintendent of Bong County, who's in his mid 60s, and Johnny Kpehe, who's likely to contest as an independent candidate.
At 42, Johnny Kpehe is the youngest of the four and currently the most popular. Young Bongese (natives of Bong County) are calling for a new era and seem poised to demonstrate that.
A recent poll conducted by FrontPageAfrica revealed that 62% of "decided voters" said they would support Johnny Kpehe in the elections. Kpehe's supporters who say he offers an alternative to the 'old-guard'
Who is Johnny Kpehe?
Kpehe is a businessman and Chief Executive Officer of the Republic Business Establishment. He's involved in car rental and hospitality business.
He is known for his frugal spending, road rehabilitation across the county, transforming the educational and business sectors, and his open and accessible leadership style.
While some are wondering if Kpehe can really defeat his main challenger Edward Karfiah, it can be said that much of the growing support for Kpehe among a cross section of disaffected young people is born out of understandable frustration of those who have served Bong County for more than nine years, specifically the fact that Karfiah is being perceived as symbolizing the business as usual brand of politics that has led the county backward.
It came as no surprise when recently, opinion polls conducted by several local radio stations put Kpehe ahead of his other competitors.
The result of an opinion poll conducted by Super Bongese Saturday showed Kpehe scoring 51 per cent among those who have decided to vote.
The "Not too young to lead" movement
FrontPageAfrica spoke with Anthony Reeves, a street pastor, who has for some time now focused his preaching on Kpehe out of desperation for a change in Bong County.
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"Things are very bad in the county," he said. "The farm-to-market roads across Bong County haven't been good until the intervention by Kpehe as we speak right now."
Reeves said he was willing to join other young people in an effort to support Kpehe. "We are going to put in our resources, we're going to put in our time to ensure that he gets there for the new Bong County. We can't continue like this," he said.
Johnny Kpehe's support base is now so strong across the county that it has now been termed a movement.
The "Not too young to lead" movement, as it has been termed by many, started with young people who are considered very strong-willed, independent-minded, and contemptuous of older politicians who they say have done nothing for them.
"We the youths -- we're not moved by the temptation to collect bribes or money in order to forfeit our destiny again for another four years," one young person told FrontPageAfrica.
Another young resident of Bong County told FrontPageAfrica that "anybody that can do the job that can take Bong County forward is what we need right now."
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Preacher Reeves said he considers the enthusiasm around Kpehe as a statement from the Bong County youth that they want real solutions to their problems.
"We are tired. Since we were born, we've never seen anything work. So, we feel like it has been their turn all along, they've done their own, it's Bong County's turn. It's not Kpelle, Bassa, it's not Gbandi, it's not Mandingo... it's beyond the tribe," he said.
Young people like Reeves are ditching the three contenders in the county and rallying behind Kpehe but some critics say that Kpehe's following is only an internet movement that will not translate to votes in October.
However, it's clear that his support has already transcended beyond social media. With the "Not too young to lead" movement on the rise many believe the old political guard could be in for a rude awakening.
