Published: November 10, 2025
GANTA, Nimba – Armstrong Gobac Selekpoh, a former senatorial candidate of Nimba County, has sharply criticized plans to host what he referred to as an an extravagant feast in honour of the late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, describing the initiative as a “wasteful spending.”
Selekpoh said the decision by the County authorities to call for lavish festivity at a time the county is faced with mounting socio-economic and developmental challenges is not only untimely but insensitive.
He drew some of his concerns from the realization that the fallen Senator’s university, the PYJ Polytechnic University (PYJPU), and his radio station are currently shut down due to lack of funding to keep them running. The PYJPU has not resumed classes since the death of the senator in November 2024, with reports that he [Senator Johnson] was indebted to the faculty, teaching staff, and other support staff of the institution prior to his passing and no one has yet stepped in to address the problem.
The radio station, known as the Voice of Faith 94.9 FM also remains off air due to equipment breakdown.
Selekpoh, in a strongly worded statement issued in the county, questioned the wisdom of the committee set up for the feast to have decided to use substantial resources on a one-day event solely intended to make merry that could be used for other and more important initiatives.
The tough-talking young politician argued that people of Nimba could truly honour the late Senator who served them for nearly two decades by restoring his unfinished projects and addressing the prevailing grievances in his institutions and family.
“I do not think it is a wise decision to host a lavish feast in honour of a man whose legacy is almost fading away due to unresolved financial issues in the institutions he left behind. It could be a wise decision for the committee to consider focusing its attention on addressing the issues that I believe could fade the Senator’s legacy very fast if not addressed now”, Selekpoh argued.
He continued: “the staff who worked for his radio station and university are still being owed more than eleven months’ salary arrears. I believe these are the most important issues that should be given attention.”
Ahead of the planned feast celebration, the Technical Committee for the ‘1st Anniversary Committee for the late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson Feast’ has, on November 9, disclosed plans and activities for a grand celebration of the first feast of the late Senator.
According to the head of the committee, Nimba County’s former Superintendent, Fong Zuagele, a total of 800 bags of rice, 40 cows, and USD$20,000.00 will be evenly distributed among the forty clans of Nimba County to enable citizens across the county to prepare for the two-day celebration.
Zuagele said the committee has held meetings with every chiefdom in the county, and preparations are almost concluded for the feast celebration slated for November 27-28.
“We have held meetings with chiefs from the 40 chiefdoms of Nimba county and informed our people about the activity, and they are in high spirits to honour their fallen leader”, former Superintendent Zuagele told reporters in Ganta.
But the Nimba county former two times defeated Senatorial candidate criticized the plan, calling on the committee to account for the previous money it sent during the burial activities of the fallen Senator and urged the Nimba County administration and the organizing committee to redirect the planned expenditure toward reviving the late Senator’s radio station, settle outstanding salaries of staff of the university and radio station and support other development initiatives within the county.
Going beyond calling for redirection of funds, the former senatorial candidate is also demanding accountability from the feast committee. He called on the committee to present a full report outlining how funds raised during the burial activities were used.
According to Selekpoh, funds for the senator’s burial activities were raised from the county’s coffers and donations from institutions and individuals, but nearly a year after the burial, there has been no report made to the public concerning income and expenditure.
“Even before they get into new spending, we want to remind the committee that it has a responsibility to inform the public about how they managed the previous fund through our county coffers and other sources. The committee must account for the first monies they collected during the senator’s burial. People contributed generously, and they deserve to know how those monies were used”, Selekpoh noted.
While demanding accountability, the former senatorial candidate has called on his supporters and the public to boycott the planned feast, arguing that attending the event would amount to endorsing “wastefulness and poor financial management.” He is now an executive member of the newly found Citizens Movement for Change (CM) of Rep. Musa Hassan Bility.
“I call on my supporters and the public to stay away from the celebration. Attending it would send a wrong message at the time the legacy of the same person they want to honour is fast fading away due to issues that have been unresolved since the death of the senator”, he stressed.
Up to the time of this report, the feast committee has not responded to the issues raised, as all efforts by this paper to speak with the Chairman of the committee proved futile.
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