Credible sources from Gbarpolu County within the ruling establishment have revealed why the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) lost to opposition Unity Party (UP) in the presidential race in Gbarpolu County, as well as the Senate’s seat. The sources that hinted the Hot Pepper that the CDC Gbarpolu Chapter and the county local authorities appointed by the President caused the party to lost to the opposition in the county.
In the October 10 general elections, opposition Unity Party (UP) received 16,703 votes, 44.53% of the total votes cast, while the ruling CDC received 15,247 votes, 40.65% of the total. At the same time, the CDC senatorial candidate, Alfred G. Koiwood, was defeated by an independent candidate, Amara Konneh. Koiwood obtained 9,303 votes, 24.85% of the total, while Konneh received 11,651 votes, 31.13%. The National Elections Commission (NEC) has declared Amara Konneh the winner of the Gbarpolu County senatorial election.
According to the sources, candidate Koiwood of the CDC was not fully supported by partisans in the county and local county authorities. The source informed this medium that independent candidate, Amara Konneh, who has declared support for opposition Unity Party (UP) of Joseph N. Boakai in the pending November 14 run-off election, was also supported with cash and campaign materials by ranking CDC officials.
During the campaign tour in the first round of the elections, President George Weah lifted the hand of Gbarpolu County district#1 Representative, Alfred Koiwood, as CDC’s candidate in the county for the Senate’s seat. Although the President, during that occasion, called on all partisans and supporters to vote for candidate Koiwood for the good of the party, the superintendent and his local officials supported independent candidate Konneh over the President’s preferred candidate. As a result of this double standard game, the party lost to the opposition in the county. The information also discloses that the CDC Gbarpolu Charter refused to run campaign for the CDC candidate in the county for the Senate’s seat; instead, they were campaigning for independent candidate Konneh.
Political pundits believe that if the CDC Gbarpolu Charter along with the local authorities do not join Koiwood to campaign for President Weah, it will be dangerous for the President’s reelection on November 14. Recently the Vice President, Jewel Howard Taylor, was in the county campaigning along with Koiwood for the CDC. Koiwood is leading the President’s reelection campaign across Gbarpolu County. The Vice President’s visited several parts of the county on Monday through the instrumentality of Koiwood, the defeated senatorial candidate of Gbarpolu. VP Taylor has therefore cautioned partisans of CDC to work closely with Koiwood to deliver Gbarpolu to CDC.