Report from the vote rich Nimba County has confirmed a deeply division among the county’s lawmakers.
The report is coming ahead of the April 22 senatorial by-election in the county to refill a vacant seat created by the death of Senator Prince Y. Johnson late last year.
According to a reporter of the FrontPageAfrica newspaper, lawmakers from the county are divided over their support for candidates, with significant backing for Representative Samuel G. Kogar, the likely contender to fill the late Senator Johnson’s seat.
Among the nine members of the county’s legislative delegation, six, including Senator D. Nya Twayen, Jr., are backing Rep. Kogar for the Senate seat. However, two other lawmakers are supporting different candidates of their respect choice.
Representative Musa Hassan Bility is backing his own chosen candidate, B. Mack Gbliwon, who represents the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), while District #9 Representative Taa Wongbay is expected to endorse Madam Edith Google-Weh, a former superintendent and the only female candidate in the race.
Sources have indicated that this division will persist beyond the by-election, which has already become a point of contention.
Some of them are reportedly set to continue their conflict, regardless of the election outcome. This long-standing tension among county representatives has roots in past political alliances and rivalries.
For instance, the six lawmakers supporting Kogar were earlier aligned with the House’s Majority Bloc Speaker Richard Koon, while Reps. Bility and Wongbay stood on the opposing side.
The dispute also extends to party affiliations, with some lawmakers opposed to Bility’s newly formed CMC. These lawmakers view the Movement for Democracy and Reconciliation (MDR), the late Senator Johnson’s party as the county’s traditional political establishment.
According to insiders, even if Kogar wins the by-election, the internal discord will continue. There are concerns that Kogar, if elected, will not align with Reps. Bility and Wongbay due to his recent message to fight anyone who will stand the way of his chance of winning the senatorial post.
Kogar’s threating remark at a political rally is further deepening the rift among the lawmakers.
The political tensions were further highlighted in a recent closed-door meeting between Nimba lawmakers and Vice President Jeremiah Koung. During the meeting, the Vice President publicly announced his support for Kogar’s senatorial bid, calling on all lawmakers to rally behind him.
However, this endorsement has only fueled further division, particularly with Bility, who has criticized Koung’s involvement in the race.
Bility has expressed concerns over Koung’s backing of Kogar, emphasizing that, as the highest-ranking official from the county; the Vice President should remain neutral in the election, rather than showing preference for a single candidate.
Bility’s comments suggest ongoing tensions between the Vice President and some lawmakers, particularly those aligned with the CMC.
The Vice President’s support for Kogar is believed to be a strategic move as he prepares for the 2029 general elections, aiming to solidify his position in the vote rich Dan/Gio region.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from some quarters, with allegations that the Vice President’s office is dominated by the Dan/Gio tribe at the expense of other ethnic groups in the county.
These concerns have fueled frustration among some Nimbaians, who claim that the county’s diverse tribes have not been fairly represented in the government.
As the by-election draws nearer, the political landscape in the county remains tense, with lawmakers and voters divided along tribal and political lines. Despite the uncertainty, Kogar’s bid for the Senate remains the focal point on political debate.