Margibi County — A stalwart of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Dr. Lester Zomatic Tenny, has criticized his party nomination of U.S.-sanctioned Nathaniel Farlo McGill on its ticket to contest for senator of Margibi County in the Legislative and Presidential elections slated for October 10, 2023.
The former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel Farlo McGill, along with two other high-ranking officials of the Weah's government, who were sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for public corruption, resigned following public pressure in response to the sanctions imposed by the United States.
Despite widespread public outcry and condemnation from prominent figures and institutions--the disgraced former minister McGill was recently nominated by the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to contest for senator of Margibi County and subsequently certificated by the National Elections Commission (NEC) as a candidate for the ensuing October 10 polls.
In the aftermath of his certification by NEC, CDC's stalwart, Dr. Lester Zomatic Tenny, one of the known party ideologues who is renowned for speaking truth to power, disclosed that he and the National Executive Committee of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) were not satisfied with the decision to nominate Mr. McGill on the party's ticket.
"We the ruling party decided to put in the race a U.S.-sanctioned convict Nathaniel McGill. I was not comfortable with that arrangement; the National Executive Committee of the CDC was never comfortable with that arrangement. The arrangement was only to appease our standard bearer (George Manneh Weah)," Dr. Tenny revealed.
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He, however, did not state how the decision to nominate Mr. McGill on the party's ticket was resolved amid the discontentment of the party's national executive committee, but initial reports gathered by FPA during the recent CDC's primary held in Margibi suggested that some party officials were hesitant to accept his nomination; however, it was later confirmed that his nomination had been accepted.
At the same time, Dr. Tenny, who is also an inhabitant of Margibi County, has vowed in the somewhat strongest tone that despite his party ignoring the character associated with Mr. Nathaniel McGill and nominating him on the party's ticket, he will vigorously campaign against his senatorial bid and ensure that he is not elected.
"This man ruined this country for the last five years; people's lives were in shackles. Have you considered that since he has been removed from office nobody just dying in their car and no auditor just dying and have you wondered why?" Dr. Tenny rhetorically asked.
Dr. Lester Tenny speaking on Sunday, July 23, 2023, at the induction ceremony of the Transit Old-timer's Sports Association (TOSA), in Transit Community, Lower Margibi County, admonished residents of Margibi to avoid voting for Mr. McGill who he terms as "national disgraced" and contemplate on supporting others senatorial contenders with reputable characters.
"We must put people with a reputation, not a negative reputation but the reputation of positivity," he urged.
