Ahead of the Friday, April 28, 2023 pronouncement of running mate by former Vice President and Standard Bearer of the Unity Party, Joseph Boakai, a Nimba-based youth group has urged citizens of Nimba to reject the Boakai and Jeremiah Koung ticket. The group made the call during a press conference on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 in Monrovia.
The Chairman of the Nimba Youth Alliance Movement, T. Gerald Teahton, alleged that Senator Prince Y. Johnson recently had a late hour meeting with Ambassador Boakai in Rehab where some agreements were reached. He alleged that in the meeting Senator Johnson and Ambassador Boakai entered a deal to have Senator Johnson’s university subsidized with US$5 million every budget year if he, Boakai, wins the presidency in the ensuing general elections.
“We condemn this dangerous deal, which is trading the national budget to satisfy the personal wealth building at the expense of our education, health and development plans. We will continue to expose all the six other points in the midnight rehab road meetings, especially those that will make us the young people to suffer. We warn all Liberians to reject this new partnership. We call upon the young people of Nimba County to never support this coalition because nothing is in it for us,” he said.
According to Chairman Teahton, it was also agreed in the midnight meeting that Senator Johnson, godfather and Founder of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), will approve every major decision that will be taken by the Boakai and Koung government. He claimed that this deal will make Senator Johnson more powerful than Koung if the Unity Party wins the pending election. He accused Senator Johnson of pocketing what belongs to the county over the past years and, therefore, his plan should not be supported this time.
The group is urging the youth of Nimba not to be carried away by the name Koung because it is Senator Johnson who will be in control if Unity Party wins the up-coming general elections. He said Nimbaians, especially young people, have not benefited from any of Senator Johnson’s deals over the past years. He termed the Boakai-Koung ticket as worse and bad for the country.