President George Weah may have just received a crucial endorsement from major stakeholders who make up a diverse group of voters in Lofa County, a region that has historically played a pivotal role in Liberian politics.
The announcement, which was made in a statement, came a few days after Nimba County Senator, Prince Johnson, claimed that his political godson, Senator Jeremiah Koung would become the country's president-in-waiting once former Vice President Joseph Boakai is elected come October 10 polls.
Johnson's remark, which was revealed in leaked audio released last week, has been cited by the group as its primary reason for endorsing Weah's reelection bid -- which faces significant challenges from Boakai, the incumbent's main rival and a host of other wild card candidates, including Alexander Cummings and Dr. Clarence Moniba.
"Now that it is clear that the JNB-JKK (Boakai and Koung) ticket is not democracy but rather a coup d'état in the making," the group said, "we the citizens of Lofa today declare the county's full support to the 2nd term bid of President George Weah; a man whose presidency has made Lofians know that power should only be given to those who think about improving the lives of the people and not to selfish politicians who ride on tradition."
"We the citizens of Lofa, despite our political differences, are deeply concerned and worried about such a 'devilish and dangerous plan' by a former warlord who is on record for killing the late Samuel Kanyon Doe, a democratically elected president," the group added.
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While the group endorsement is seen as a boost to Weah's reelection campaign, it is yet to be clear how that can flip Lofa, which has the national fifth most significant share of the vote from Boakai, who remains highly influential in the county despite ongoing efforts by the President and his support to change the narrative.
Critics argued that it is "hypocritical" on the part of the president's campaign team and his hosts of supporters to highlight Johnson, who is a senator of Nimba County war record as the result of the leaked audio when the Senator had played a great role in the election of Weah in 2017.
The Senator and the President who were friends for nearly six years fell apart earlier this year leading to the former pledging his support for Boakai who in return selected his godson, Koung who is also Senator for Nimba county as his running mate.
The falloff has led to both Weah and Johnson throwing jabs and pointing at each other's flaws in a bid to woo voters. Johnson is immensely influential in Nimba County, which has a voting population of 308,000, second only to Montserrado County.
The Nimba Senators, according to the group that has endorsed the President, have a different agenda about a Boakai presidency "as opposed to what they are making the public believe."
They claimed that while Boakai's "health is a serious concern," the worrisome part is that his "inner circle is aware that he is unfit to steer the affairs of the country beyond 2023 but are bent on using him for their selfish gains."
