Zwedru — Senator Zoe Pennue has diverged from the official position of his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) party by announcing his support for Rep. Alex Grant of District #3, who recently joined the Unity Party (UP).
Sen. Pennue's decision has raised questions about his alleged association with the UP, further fueling rumors that he may be secretly supporting the opposition party due to his longstanding friendship with Sen. Jeremiah Koung, the vice standard bearer of the UP.
It is worth noting that Sen. Pennue is not running in the upcoming elections this October, but his fellow CDC member Senator Marshall Dennis is. Sen. Dennis defeated Pennue in the Special Senatorial elections in 2014.
During a gathering in Toe Town over the weekend, Sen. Pennue expressed his disagreement with his party's consensus to maintain incumbent Senator Dennis as the candidate for the county in 2023. Instead, he voiced his personal preference for Rep. Alex Chersia Grant.
While Rep. Grant initially entered politics under the CDC ticket in 2017, representing his Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) as a constituent party of the Coalition, he recently defected to the opposition Unity Party.
Reports indicate that Rep. Grant was encouraged to remain in his district, but he is determined to challenge Sen. Dennis for the Senate seat.
Sen. Pennue, who was elected to the Upper House in 2020 while serving his third term as Representative of the county's District Number 1, has been known to have affiliations with the Unity Party since 2005, despite mostly contesting as an independent candidate.
It is noteworthy that Sen. Pennue campaigned against the election of President George Weah in 2017 in his hometown of Tuzon, which was also the hometown of the late President Samuel Kayon Doe.
Although the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) maintains its popularity among the people of Grand Gedeh County, Sen. Pennue appears to be positioning himself against the CDC in his former Zwedru constituency of District Number One (Tchien District). He has been promoting his own preferred candidate, whom the party does not seem to be considering.
Additionally, sources suggest that the CDC has made efforts to reconcile with disgruntled members, as promised by the CDC National Chairman Mulbah Morlu after the 2021 by-elections. It is highly likely that Representative Erol Madison Gwion, who won the by-election to replace Pennue in District #1, will receive the party's support for the upcoming elections.
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Rep. Gwion, a long-standing member of the Congress for Democratic Change, the central constituent party of the Coalition, is well-positioned to secure a full six-year tenure with the backing of the party.
Residents of Rep. Gwion's district commend him for initiating meaningful development projects, including the provision of street lights, electricity to the general hospital in Zwedru, access to safe drinking water, and the promotion of academic excellence.
Notably, Gwion established the first-ever District Development Council, through which he contributes 50 percent of his salary to community empowerment and development.
While it is evident that the ruling CDC aims to maintain a united front, the party will likely seek to prevent loyalists in Grand Gedeh County from becoming a fractured support base during the crucial upcoming elections.
