–As Former Supt. Kortimai Declares Intention against Incumbent Sen. Zargo
The October 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections that is due in eight months’ time may spring lot of surprises as two publicly-known loyalists of Unity Party (UP) standard bearer and political leader, Joseph Boakai, are poised to come face to face to contest Lofa County senatorial seat currently occupied by Senator Steven Zargo of the Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence’s faction of the Liberty Party.
Recently, the former Superintendent of Lofa County and a candidate in the last Lofa County by-election, Galakpai Kortimai, declared to the people of his county that he will contest the senatorial seat in October 2023, currently occupied by Senator Steven Zargo, who publicly declared his support for former Vice President Joseph Boakai in 2017 despite being a Liberty Party partisan.
Flashback: former Supt Galakpai Kortimai and incumbent senator Steve Zargo compare notes during the by-election campaign. They are now poised for a face off for the October 2023 polls for the senatorial seat
Former superintendent Kortimai was narrowly defeated by Cllr Joseph Jallah in the lastly-held Lofa County by-elections, following the denial of the seat to former Defense Minister J. Brownie Samukai, having won the seat overwhelmingly in the December 2020 Senatorial Midterm elections, as he defeated former senator George Tengbeh of the Coalition for Democratic Change massively.
Samukai, also another Boakai’s loyalist could not take his seat following his indictment and subsequent trial for allegedly misapplying Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) personnel personal funds, with the intent of government paying back, after the monies was used to equip Liberia peacekeeping troops stationed in Mali at the time. In the end, the court adjudged Samukai guilty and was asked to restitute said monies along with his deputy and comptroller. He was later given clemency by President Weah and asked him to work alone with the Ministry of Justice on payment plan.
Flashback: UP Joseph Boakai lifts Kortimai hand for the by-election, and also supported Zargo almost nine years ago. His two loyalists will challenge each other for one seat, what will he do to find common ground as a ‘leader’?
Meanwhile, after his narrow defeat to Cllr. Joseph Jallah, former Superintendent Kortimai told the people of Lofa County that he will go for the senatorial seat Joseph Boakai’s ally and supporter, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence’s Liberty Party faction member Sen. Steve Zargo currently occupies at the moment.
During the 2017 presidential and legislative elections, Lofa County senator Steven Zargo, via OK FM 99.5 publicly disclosed that he was supporting former Vice President Joseph Boakai, because he was a traditional man who would not leave his ‘Uncle’ and support another candidate, despite his party’s standard bearer Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine (now deceased) being in the race.
As for former Lofa County Superintendent Galakpai Kortimai, he joined the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) after falling out with the former governing Unity Party and losing his job at the General Services Agency (GSA) during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. He later rejoined the Unity Party after former Vice President, his kinsmen from Lofa County, Joseph Boakai became political leader of the UP.
Former Defense J. Brownie Samukai was denied his legitimately won senatorial seat on political grounds rather than electoral grounds. He is a loyalist of VP Boakai. Will he use his leadership skills to resolve a pending political feud in Lofa County?
It is however unknown whether the former Unity Party (UP) will field a candidate for the Lofa County senatorial seat come October 2023, since the party is currently in a political marriage with the political leader of the Liberty Party, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, who has had a political beef with the National Chairman of the Liberty Party, Musa Hassan Bility, following his recognition by the National Elections Commission.
In keeping with Elections law of Liberia, an aspirant, apart from being an Independent, who submits an application for an elected position, that aspirant application form has to be signed by a political party chairman once he/she is a member a given party. If Zargo is to seek re-election, it is unknown whether he will go on the ticket of the Liberty Party chaired by Mr. Musa Hassan Bility, since the political leader of Liberty Party, who is an ally to Senator Zargo has no legitimate authority to sign the application forms of party aspirants that will be sent to NEC for clearing to be granted candidature status.
The local politics in Lofa County is fixed on tribal lines, evidenced with the last by-election where the Gbandi tribe predominantly from Kolahun District voted for their son, Cllr. Joseph Jallah, despite their ‘Uncle’ former VP Joseph Boakai, who hails from Foya Statutory District and is Kissi by tribe having a huge support base in Kolahun. Boakai and the Unity Party supported former superintendent Galakpai Kortimai, who hails from the Lorma tribe, but the other candidate in the race, Cllr. Jallah, a Gbandi defeated Kortimai.
Now with both Kortimai and Zargo being Lorma, it is unknown whether the people hailing from the Lorma tribe will want to settle on either of their two sons, who are expected to be in a political faceoff for the senatorial seat comes the October 2023 elections to avoid what happened during the by-election when a Gbandi defeated a Lorma.
Meanwhile, a local radio correspondent in Voinjama, Lofa County told OK FM on Tuesday, February 21 that incumbent Senator Steve Zargo has not commented publicly on former Superintendent Kortimai’s declaration to challenge him for his seat in the October 2023 elections, but said at the appropriate time a decision will be reached to resolve the matter as political allies.
Political pundits told IPNEWS that that it remains to be seen whether UP standard bearer and political leader, Joseph Boakai will be able to call his two loyalists – Kortimai and Zargo – to resolve the matter regarding who should contest for the for Senatorial seating in the October 2023 elections.
Flashback: CPP leaders during the good days. Under VP Boakai’s chairmanship the political marriage crumbled and disintegrated with the UP and ALP pulling out leaving only the ANC and Liberty Party
It can be recalled former Vice President Joseph Boakai was chairman of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) when the political marriage abruptly ended during an internal crisis Mr. Boakai was blamed by his supporters he could not handle as the an elderly stateman. “Under Boakai’s watchful eyes, the CPP crumbled on mere false allegation that he should have handled but instead he chose to take sides as a senior man of CPP instead demonstrating his leadership quality that he says he possesses,” a political pundit lamented as he spoke to IPNEWS.
It said that former Superintendent Galakpai Kortimai lost the Lofa County by-election due to the Unity Party pulling out of the original CPP, thus affecting the votes that should have come from the Alternative National Congress and the Liberty Party partisans in Lofa County.
Another political commentator recounted that UP Boakai almost allowed an internal youth league situation within the UP during their election period to plunge the party into chaos when he failed to call the contending parties as Political Leader and Standard Bearer to resolve the matter, until some stalwarts of the party had to go public to call the former Vice President to order act and resolve the UP young wing problem.
The original four parties of the CPP before it disintegrated during former VP Boakai’s Chairmanship
So bookmakers and political pundits are watching to see what unfolds ahead of the October 2023 presidential and legislative elections whether the UP political leader and standard bearer, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, will act accordingly as a leader to resolve a potential feud that could split votes in Lofa County for the Unity Party as two of Boakai’s loyalists – former superintendent Kortimai and senator Zargo are poised to faceoff in the race in the pending senatorial race.
