A political pressure movement under the banner, Liberia Democratic Platform 23 (LDP-23), has termed as dangerous and politically risky for former Vice President, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, to select a Unity Party person as running mate for the impending 2023 elections.
Amid growing anxiety and emerging frustration amongst Boakai’s supporters, coupled with rumor that the UP Standard Bearer may select Bong County Senator, Prince Kermue Moye, as running mate, the LDP-23 says such a decision has the propensity of destabilizing the opposition community and derailing Ambassador Boakai’s presidential bid just as in 2017.
The group said they believe Senator Moye’s selection could cause a massive loss of support from both the Liberty Party (LP) of Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and the All Liberian Party (ALP) of Benoni Wilfred Urey, considering that since the disintegration of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) in February 2022 Karnga-Lawrence and Urey have maintained their support and have remained in a collaboration with Ambassador Boakai and his Unity Party.
LDP-23, an independent political pressure movement dedicated to assessing the activities of key political parties, collaborations and alliances ahead of, and during, the 2023 elections, noted that in the collaboration both Urey and Karnga-Lawrence have expressed their desire to be considered for the running mate position to Joseph Boakai, and therefore to shun the two in favor of Senator Prince Moye would be a sheer display of selfishness, ingratitude and could spell disaster for Joseph Boakai and the Unity Party.
The group disclosed that sources from both the ALP and the LP have hinted that the two parties and their supporters would become very reluctant in supporting JNB next year, thus giving advantage to Boakai’s opponents and eventually a second defeat for a man whom many people see as a better option for the Liberian presidency.
As Liberians gear up to go to the polls to elect a new government in an election that many pundits have considered a defining moment for the country, many Liberians view the current CDC/Weah-led government as a failure and now look forward to the opposition community, and Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, who continues to lead opinion polls and other forms of public approval, is widely expected to present a formidable ticket that will be able to clinch victory.
The task of selecting a viable running mate, according to LDP-23, will be a major deciding factor in how JNB, as he is affectionately called by his supporters, performs in the 2023 presidential election, and such a crucial decision should not and must not be delayed or made on selfish political grounds.
The Liberia Democratic Platform-23 is also reminding Ambassador Boakai of the shortness of time to make the major decision of selecting and announcing a strategic, formidable and sellable running mate to avoid the same fate that befell him in 2017 when he delayed so much in selecting a running mate, something that was heavily used against his campaign.
Over the past few weeks, Senator Prince K. Moye’s name has been surfacing as an option to be selected as vice presidential candidate to JNB on the Unity Party’s ticket, and it is clear that the public will heavily critique whomever Joseph Boakai selects as running mate as Liberians are getting more and more sensitive to the reputation and character of those serving in the public space.
Against this backdrop, LDP-23 says it has joined many other Liberians who have raised serious concerns about any possibility of selecting Senator Prince Moye as running mate to Joseph Boakai.
The group warned the UP Standard Bearer against selecting a running mate that could present the task of having to be defended in the public for several months against allegations of the past and present that could unnecessarily cause distraction and undermine the chances of the UP ticket.
According to LDP-23, since the rumors about Senator Moye’s selection emerged, opponents of Ambassador Boakai, both within the opposition community and in the governing CDC, have already started gathering and compiling old and new allegations against the Bong County Senator that could keep the party and its supporters busy defending him and distracted from selling the ticket and platform of the Unity Party.
The group said opposition to Ambassador Boakai have already resurrected and lined up allegations of immorality and sexual abuse against Senator Prince Moye that could hamper, in a very serious way, any chance of Joseph Boakai and the Unity Party running a successful campaign and winning the 2023 presidential election.
The Liberia Democratic Platform-23 said opponents of Boakai have planned to resurrect, amongst other things, that Senator Prince K. Moye was alleged to have raped a 14-year-old girl in the community he currently resides in, Dwazon, on the Robertsfield highway, though he denied and challenged his accusers in court to prove the allegation against him.
While he proclaimed and maintained his innocence then, his accusers and others still believe that he used his financial influence to settle the alleged rape case with the family.
One of those who raised the accusation about the raping of the 14-year old girl was Hezekiah Siakor, Prince Moye’s major contender in the 2017 representative election for district #2, Bong County, who reportedly died mysteriously just before the elections in 2017.
LDP-23 added that opponents of Ambassador Boakai are prepared to attack Senator Prince Moye on alleged several backhand dealings in the House of Representatives when he served as Deputy Speaker, ranging from rumors that the then Deputy Speaker was in cohort with the ruling party (CDC) and received kickbacks for lobbying for and supporting bogus budgetary allocations that were intended to shortchange the country.
These accusations, LDP-23 opined, would raise a serious red flag on Senator Prince K. Moye’s running-mate position to Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, and could cause serious distraction.
In 2017, the Unity Party Standard Bearer selected the then House Speaker, Emmanuel Nuquay, Margibi County, on the deadline for candidate nomination.
Many political analysts believe that the nomination of Emmanuel Nuquay contributed significantly to the defeat of the Unity Party in the 2017’s presidential election as his selection was greeted with massive disenchantment especially when a recording emerged in which Nuquay was heard speaking to voters in a demeaning manner.
LDP-23 said they believe if care is not taken and political wisdom not exercised similar fate could befall the UP with a Moye selection as running mate because the Liberian society is gullible and time is limited to be busy defending a ticket and responding to barrage of accusations instead of focusing on the platform, policies and/or agenda of the JNB presidential mission.
Liberia Democratic Platform 23 (LDP-23) has vowed to continue its assessment of all aspirants/candidates, parties, coalitions and alliances as Liberians looks forward to going to the polls next year.