PYJ Exits The World
Nimba County longest serving Senator, Prince Yormie Johnson, has left the troublesome world for the great beyond. The shocking news of his demise came Thursday morning with disbelief that Senator Johnson exited at the Hope For Women Clinic On AB Tolbert Road in Paynesville on November 28. According to sources close to family members of the fallen top Nimba politician, he came down with pressure and was rushed to the clinic but could not recuperate.
Senator Johnson has served Nimba County as senator since 2005 up to 2024. He was serving his third term and was expected to spend twenty-seven years in the Senate for the county.
The fallen senator has gone down in history as a controversial public figure who made himself ‘godfather’ in Nimba politics. He referred to himself also as ‘king maker’ in persuading majority of Nimbaians to vote for presidential candidates of his choice during runoff elections.
For the record, Senator Johnson led such political crusade successfully which secured former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf second term in 2011, followed by former football icon George Manneh Weah first term in 2017, and now President Joseph Nyuma Boakai first term in 2023.
As politician, Senator Johnson formed two political parties- the National Union for Democracy Party (NUDP) and the National Democracy and Reconstruction Party (NDR), aimed at ascending to the presidency but to no avail. He was expelled from the former party-NUDP before forming the latter-NDR.
Senator Johnson took third place in the 2011 presidential race but fell short to maintain same during the 2017 race, though he ensured that Weah won the presidency at the runoff between him and now President Boakai.
During the devastating Liberian Civil War, PYJ broke away from Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) rebel group and formed the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) faction. It is this break away rebel faction that captured and executed former President Samuel Kanyon Doe in September 1990 during the civil war.
Before becoming a politician, Senator Johnson was a well known Armed Forces of Liberia personnel who survived arrests and executions during the regime of Samuel Doe when coups (real and fake), marred the era at the time.
Though he was controversial, Senator Johnson’s demise is most likely to redefine the political trend of Nimba County, bearing in mind the stance of the county on critical national issues, which he was noted for being tough and resolute in defense of the county.
While Senator Johnson was usually linked to bribery in supporting presidential candidates to win Nimba votes, he will be remembered for erecting fabulous educational facilities in Nimba and Monrovia as private investments; writes Lewis K. Glay lewisglay@gmail.com/0886469835/0777286750
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