–As Sen. Prince Moye Prefers Collaborating Party Member
IPNEWS: Some time ago when there was heated noise within the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) regarding their framework document being altered until the matter was thrown out of court, some former governing Unity Party partisans were posting on social media that with the breakaway of the UP and All Liberian Party (ALP), UP standard bearer Boakai would eventually name Liberty Party political leader, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence as his running mate, with Alternative National Congress (ANC) Alexander B. Cummings being out of the way.
There were even speculations that if Boakai would have stayed in the CPP, and the other way around had ANC Cummings left, the former Vice President would have either go for ALP Benoni Urey as his running mate. But the question was Urey, who says he has Kpelle background – a tribe that has lineage in Bong, Margibi and Gbarpolu Counties, does he have the constituents that can generate the needed votes to help propel Boakai to the Liberian presidency?
As the speculations and rumors spread, the UP had to publicly declare that their standard bearer had no intention of naming Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence of the Liberty Party as his running mate. After that public pronouncement, there was no reaction from the Liberty Party political leader.
Fast forward, Senator Prince Moye another potential running mate as was being speculated within UP circles has said it would be wise if Unity Party (UP) standard bearer Joseph Boakai selected a running mate from a different collaborating political party rather than an all-UP affair.
The Bong County Senator’s statement was in response to the growing speculations that he’s being reportedly touted by Boakai to go as running mate in the October 2023 polls.
Senator Moye, who has twice won as representative of Bong’s District #2 before going on to win as Senator of Bong County in 2020, said he appreciates those who have conceived the idea that he is best fit to be a running mate or a vice president, but he is not “selfish” and encourage.
“What Ambassador Boakai is looking at are parties that are in collaboration with us (UP) to validate who can bring the numbers. I am thinking like a genuine partisan who wants to rescue this country like the way my standard bearer Boakai is thinking so that we can have stability. I am not a selfish person.”
According to him, the Unity Party is in a political process where no one party has won first round in presidential elections since 2005. With such imperial evidence, he said, any well-meaning presidential candidate will always want to look out there.
“We are genuine about our patriotic movement to bring the country to a point where everyone will feel the impact by geographically balancing the Country in government. By doing this you will have viable peace and economy viability,” he said.
No Bong Citizen Has a Top Ministerial Job
The Unity Party standard bearer also frowned on President George Weah, describing his decision to deny Bong County a top ministerial job as “a complete marginalization” to the third populous county in the country, but at the same time prioritizing his kinsmen from the South-East.
Former VP Boakai has been clear that he wants someone considerably younger and ready to assume the duties of the presidency should health problems or other unforeseen circumstances arise.
“The most important thing – and I’ve actually talked to people about this – the most important thing is that there has to be someone who, the day after they’re picked, is prepared to be president of Liberia if something happened,” Boakai said.
Among the candidates reportedly reviewed most closely by Boakai’s vetting team are Karngar-Lawrence and the political leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Benoni Urey, and Senator Moye, whose name has in recent months floated Boakai’s radar.
The lobbying for and against the various candidates has grown intense, and some prominent folks in the UP have spoken out in recent weeks against what appears to be a concerted effort to spread negative information about some of the contenders in hopes of boosting their own candidate of choice.
