By Taisiah K. Merfee
IPNEWS-Monrovia: The Joint Political Movement of District #2 Grand Gedeh County, has termed as deceptive, selfish, and greedy decision by the elders of Konobo Administrative District for what they called “the unilateral and unknown decision over the selection of a single to represent the interest of the people.”
Konobo District currently have five of its sons who are vowing as representative hopeful to steer the affairs of the District in the upcoming legislative and presidential elections.
However, in efforts to narrow the political space, elders of Konobo District through Mr. Gibson Myers organized a committee chaired by elder Moses Neah to bring the five candidates to a dialogue in order to choose a single candidate to support in the pending election.
But, three representative hopeful including Mr. Shem B. Jallayu, Alex Gee and Mr. Patrick Bowah in a press statement issued Tuesday January 10, 2023, in Monrovia said that at no time where they ever invited for any meeting by the elders to decide on such critical decision. They noted that the elders took (US$200) two hundred United States dollars each from them but did not invite them for any meeting.
The three men however, assured their support and the general public that they will contest in the upcoming legislative election, adding that mobilization and recruitment along with developmental projects will continue.
According to the group, the decision taken by the elders headed by chief elder Peter McGill and the chair of the committee Mr. Neah is deeply characterized by deception and conflict of interest to select an individual to represent the interest of all of the aspirants from Grand Gedeh County, District #2 in the pending legislative and presidential elections this year.
They alleged that all of the Clans and Sections in Konobo including lower and upper Gbardru, and lower and upper Gbilibo were not represented at the meeting organized by Mr. Moses Neah, committee meeting arrangement.
The representatives hopeful alleged that there was no agreement made between the organizing committee headed by Mr. Neah and all aspirants that the selection decision process will go through a defined electoral college and that all of the Clans across those Districts would have equally been represented through a general invite to this program giving aspirants opportunity to know the electorates and lobby for their votes.
However, they alleged that instead of that, few elders of the organizing committee interests were secretly invited.
The Joint-Political Movement comprises of Friends of representative hopeful Shem B. Jallayu, Alex Gee and friends of representative hopeful Patrick N. Bowah of District #2, Konobo administrative district, Grand Gedeh County.
In a press statement under the signature of Mr. J Dweh Blai, national Chairman Friends of Shem B. Jallayu, Mr. Q. Roland Waylee, chairman of Friends of Alex Gee, and Mr. Edwin T. Tailey National Chairman of Patrick N. Bowah and approved by the three representative hopeful, said that upon the arrival of the political Movement in Ziah City, there have been no official entry meeting called by the elders to publicly sit with, discuss, and inform all aspirants about the sole purpose of the called meeting.
The group noted that there were no indicator-yard-stakes set up and agreed upon by all the aspirants as the basis on which selection decision would have been arrived had a meeting with aspirants being previously arranged.
“Aspirants were not quizzed in a debate to publicly tell a full sitting of council of elders and citizens of the reason why he or she would be the best choice for the Konobo people, including what they have done with regards to their asserts, investment and vision for the county.
Mr. George Tarlue, the newly appointed coordinator of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) for Konobo District and who also serves as Public Relation Officer of Willie Dweh was represented as one of the elders in their secret room for candidate selection decision. Finally, all those who made that unknown decision were supporter of Mr. Dweh,” they concluded.
