Liberia’s President and Standard Bearer of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), George M. Weah has blasted Nimba County Senator, Prince Y. Johnson and his political party over claim that the government is after his life.
Recently, Senator Johnson who is also the founder of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) accused the President and his party of plotting his assassination in response to his decision to withdraw political support from the CDC for the upcoming elections.
Additionally, the assassination accusation was originally advanced by Johnson’s party, which presented no proof. According to the MDR, their intelligence originated from a trustworthy high-level government person.Senator Prince Johnson campaigning for President Weah then CDC Standard Bearer during the 2017 Elections
But in reaction to the Nimba County Senator claim, President Weah denied the allegation and described Sen. Johnson as a “blackmailer.” “If you do not want to work with us, get on the side, we have other people.
“You are manipulating people every day. Give me this and give me that. Are you infallible? We are not working with you again, you can go anywhere you want to go,” the Liberian leader, preaching at his Forky Klon Family Church along the Roberts International Airport highway on Sunday, January 5, 2023 stated.
He further, “You say the Government wants to kill you, do I look like someone that can kill somebody? You forgot to know that those you killed already may be running behind you. We are trying to make sure that everyone is at peace. We are not afraid of anybody.”
According to him, he has tried sitting with Sen. Johnson to talk but has been left surprised by the Senator’s recent public utterances, which included assassination charges, noting that the Senator demands are outrageous and counterproductive to the forward march of “their friendship and, as such, he’s not willing to give in.”
“Since we speak on a table now, the Senator is going around and telling people that we want to kill him. If you don’t want to work with us, go one side. There are people who want to work with us. This Coalition brought everybody on board. Those that are on the job when we remove them, their families will suffer. It is about other people’s livelihood too,” the President intoned.
President Weah has at the same time also blasted some members of his ruling party saying, “Those who have left us are talkers who do not have the quality; and do not have leadership. These are people who are not successful and this is why they are angry. They will continue to criticize.”
“But I am not deterred because these things happen in politics and some parties believe they have labored over the years but were rather denied jobs or given far more low jobs that can barely provide enough for them.
“When we formed the CDC, some got angry and I said I could not be the leader. I did not run away because I am not a runaway person. Even when you give me sweeping work in this CDC I will be here,” he said.
The Liberian leader then thanked all his supporters who were present at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia and many other rallying points to nominate him to run for a second term of six years.
It can be recalled that Senator Prince Johnson, a former notorious warlord who helped the Weah secure vote-rich Nimba County in the 2017 election, corroborated his party’s assertions on February 2, only hours after the party conducted a news conference in that respect.
However, Johnson has focused much of his criticism on the President’s refusal to appoint more people from the Nimba, a voting bloc that is particularly strong.
Furthermore, the CDC has since denied the MDR claim saying, “The Senator, who was important to Weah winning the election five years ago, is once again doing so for his own selfish gain because Weah has appointed few officials from Johnson’s party to Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial posts, with the most notable appointment being Cllr. Cooper Kruah, who is now the Minister of Post and Telecommunication.”
