--Appleton speaks out
Distant third-placed presidential candidate Mr. Edward Appleton, Jr., says he used a Jehovah's Witness style of campaigning that put him about 18 other candidates following the 10 October 2023 polls.
The Grassroots Development Movement (GDM) standard bearer secured the third highest votes after incumbent President George Manneh Weah and his archrival Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
20 presidential candidates contested the polls, but Weah and Boakai each obtained a little over 43 percent of the votes and they have been declared the two candidates to contest in a run-off due 14 November 2023.
What appeared amazing for many here was how Mr. Edward Appleton, Jr., rose to third place, especially for a candidate who did not pull the crowd or run a vigorous campaign as others did before the polls.
But Appleton spoke out for the first time on Tuesday, responding to his critics who believe that he didn't deserve the vote he acquired in the October presidential election.
Addressing a major press conference Tuesday, 24 October 2023 at the GDM headquarters in Congo Town, Mr. Appleton said his critics' claims that he didn't campaign or deserve the votes he acquired are false and misleading.
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"I first must thank God for his grace and blessings. They say I'm a ghost, I'm not. They say our party was set up to disrupt the electoral process. This is not true," said Mr. Appleton.
"They say we have endorsed a candidate, not true because we have not thanked the Liberian people, the Grassroots yet. They say that I, the standard bearer, have left the country. It's false. I'm here," Mr. Appleton clarified.
According to him, while the supposedly big parties were looking for crowds and filling stadiums, he and his supporters were in rural Liberia talking to people one-on-one.
"While the big Political Parties were looking for crowds and filling stadiums, we were in rural Liberia talking to people one-on-one. We were talking and delivering our message which fell on good grounds," he explained.
Appleton noted that he "campaigned Jehovah Witness Style," adding that although he is not in the top two spots, he is in the position to play a key role in the upcoming run-off election.
The opposition politician pointed out that his decision to endorse must be based on a clear understanding of what the Liberian people want.
According to him, he is praying for wisdom to make a decision that will make the Liberian people and those who will vote in the future proud.
He further indicated that GDM is not going to be a looker, but it will fully participate in the democratic dispensation of a second-round election.
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Mr. Appleton further said GDM intended to work hard to change the paradigm, which will bring about generational change in the not-too-distant future.
"With the enthusiasm shown by the Liberian people in the first round in electing their leaders, it exhibited pertinently that the Liberian people believe in democracy and good governance," he said.
He noted that he along with his vice standard bearer and all their officers and members commit that they stand for peace, justice, good governance, human rights, and the socioeconomic development of the Liberian people.
Meanwhile, Mr. Appleton expressed appreciation and excitement to the Liberian people for voting for him during the presidential election.
"This press conference was called to thank the Liberian people, the grassroots, who voted to tell them know that we hear you."
