The Battle for Lofa Senatorial Seat: Who Could Cement the Broken Hope?
By Stephen Kollie
Voinjama, Lofa County, one of Liberia’s largest political subdivisions is headed for a by-election come May 2022.
The by-election comes on the heel of a fierce political battle in 2020 that saw the election of former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai, who did not however take his seat, due to his criminal conviction by the Liberian judiciary, following lengthy court proceedings.
As the citizens of Lofa County brace for yet another senatorial election in less than two years, many eyes are on a leader that can unify the county after a protracted period of division fueled by multiple factors including the 2020 political drama.
One of the factors which have been highly disputed has to do with withheld suspicion that the Gbandi ethnic group were key supporters of the UNIMO-K rebel group which is alleged to have served as a resistance force to the National Patriotic Front of Liberia.
Top politicians of the county are said to have often used this false propaganda to sway away voters from candidates from the Gbandi side.
For example, known evidence suggests that there were massacres in almost all parts of Lofa County including those that were carried out Kambolahun, Lukas, Bodorlahun (Key Gbandi Towns and villages), and the Barkedu massacre, all of which indicate that all tribes sustained heavy human losses compared to the false narrative that only the Kissi and/or Lomas were targeted.
It took the people of Lofa, the Supreme Court, and the Liberian Senate almost two years to overcome a heavily contested legal wrangling that saw Lofa County with just one senator for several months after the conduct of the 2020 senatorial race.
It all started on March 24, 2020, just some months ahead of the senatorial election when Criminal Court “C’’ at the temple of Justice found former Defense Minister Brownie J. Samukai, Joseph F. Johnson, former Deputy Minister for Administration, and J. Nyumah Dorkor, former Comptroller, guilty of misappropriating US$1.3 million from the Armed Forces of Liberia compulsory contributing fund which was deposited at Ecobank Liberia.
Despite the lower court’s ruling, Samukai took the flight to the Supreme Court to appeal the lower court’s judgment. Samukai’s supporters decided to deceptively market a narrative of a political witch-hunt rather than allowing and/or looking at it from the judicial perspective.
He then went on to contest the 2020 senatorial election on the ticket of the now-defunct Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), with huge support from former vice president Joseph Boakai and the current leader of Unity Party.
After the elections, Samukai was declared the winner by the National Elections Commission when he received 20,431 votes, followed by Independent candidate Cllr. Joseph Kpator-Jallah, who accumulated 13,968 votes.
His political ambition came to a dead-end early this year when the Supreme Court of Liberia ordered his incarceration along with co-defendants for two years due to their failure to comply with the mandate of the court to pay 50 percent of the judgment sum in the amount of US$537,828.00 (five hundred seventy-three thousand eight hundred twenty-eight dollars) within six months.
Since the ruling of the high court, Samukai's whereabouts remain unknown, at least to the general public. All along, the Liberian Senate patiently waited until the Supreme Court made its final decision and ruled in Samukai’s case before the Senate moved to declare a vacancy in Lofa, through an official communication, informing the National Elections Commission about said vacancy in keeping with constitutional provisions. This paved the way for the NEC to commence activities that will lead to a by-election in Lofa County, now set for May 10, 2022.
The Cllr. Jallah Factor
Cllr. Joseph K. Jallah has become a household name across all facets of Lofa County society. He has a deep-rooted political base across all districts of Lofa County.
Since 2003, he has maintained a strong tie with the Lofa County Students Community as well as the youth community through sports, the traditional people (both men and women), and all religious groupings in Lofa County up to present. He has made three unsuccessful attempts for the senatorial seat in Lofa – in 2011, 2014, and 2020. In the last election, he obtained 13,968 votes, finishing second in the race.
For Cllr. Jallah, it’s not about how many times he has contested but bringing peace and unity among the people of Lofa after a heated 2020 election and its aftermath is a priority.
“Samukai and I spoke after the election. We are friends from the University. The election issue was decided by the court based on substance. I never complained to anyone in the last election. I have come again to tell the people of Lofa to thank you and to please accept me at this time,” he said.
He continued: “I believe that the Lofa people will make up their mind this time to vote for me; President Buhari of Nigeria ran four times before becoming president of Nigeria. I have tried my best in this country. Some of these people are saying all sorts of things.”
River Gee County Senator Conmany B. Wesseh is said to have contested three times before he won the senatorial seat of River Gee. With his ascending performance in the past elections, political observers say Cllr. Jallah has a better chance this time, based on his level of intense engagements in the county.
The UP-Boakai Factor
In past elections, former vice president Joseph N. Boakai has been regarded as one of the key players in Lofa county politics due to his long-held presidential ambition. Additionally, some people believe that when the VP raises your hand in an election, you stand a better chance of winning the election.
However, research shows otherwise. For example, in December 2015, former VP Boakai is said to have raised the hands of UP candidate Boakai Lansana who was massively defeated by independent candidate Julie Fatorma, who was, in fact, a newcomer. In 2014, the former VP openly supported former NASSCORP boss Francis Karbah on the Unity Party ticket who was later defeated by Sen. Steve Zargo.
It is widely speculated that VP Boakai is allegedly fielding three candidates in the upcoming senatorial by-election – one as the Unity Party’s official candidate and two others as independent candidates, all from one political party.
Already rumors are rife that names like current District #3 representative Clarence Massaquoi, who is a member of UP, will be contesting as an independent candidate. Others include J. Cole Bangalu, the purported choice of VP Boakai, who is said to be contesting as an independent candidate on the ticket of the Unity Party; while former Lofa County Superintendent
Galakpai W. Kortimai, who heavily campaigned and supported Brownie Samukai during his (Samukai's) legal turmoil, is said to be the actual candidate who will contest on the UP ticket.
Kortimai’s public support for Samukai was seen by many as a stepping stone by Kortimai to refresh his political relevance from the Kissi side ahead of the 2023 senatorial race. He is now said to be taking swift advantage of the upcoming by-election to cement his longtime political ambition.
The “grand-uncle” factor
As one who is seen as an elderly statesman from Lofa County with presidential ambition, many expected that VP Boakai would have undertaken a direct and early initiative to a peaceful resolution of the actively running political division among sons and daughters of Lofa county; especially those who participated in the 2020 senatorial election. While key players of the political game appear to be working in the background at the moment with just a month for Lofa County voters to go to the ballot box, everyone is eager to see how this by-election will play out.
The CDC penetration
On the other hand, it is a known fact that CDC political operatives have been heavily investing in the county to change the political narratives in favor of the ruling party come 2023.
The likes of Mont District #5 Rep. Thomas P. Fallah, Monrovia Mayor Jefferson T. Koijee, Controller General Janga A. Kowo, LAA Boss Moses Y. Kollie, and many others are actively engaged with various activities in the county presently. This will have a new set of impacts in 2023.