MONROVIA – Former Deputy Commerce Minister Jemima Wolokollie has urged residents of Nimba County to “vote wisely” in the upcoming Senatorial by-election slated for April 22, 2025. Speaking to journalists in Monrovia on Wednesday, April 2, Wolokollie described the vote as a litmus test for the county ahead of the 2029 general and presidential elections.
“Nimba is a political powerhouse,” she said, referencing the county’s role in producing three major presidential candidates in recent elections—former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2011), former President George M. Weah (2017), and current President Joseph N. Boakai (2023).
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has cleared several candidates to contest the seat vacated by the late Senator Prince Y. Johnson, who passed away on November 29, 2024. Among the cleared contenders are Edith Gongloe-Weh, sister of former presidential candidate Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe; Mack Gbliwon of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC); George Gonpu of the African Democratic Movement (ADM); and former Representative Richard Tingba of VOLT. Also in the race are Representative Samuel Kogar of District #5 and defeated Representative Torbor Wonokay.
Wolokollie, who herself contested in the Montserrado County 2020 midterm senatorial race, endorsed Representative Samuel Kogar and the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR). She criticized Gongloe-Weh, alleging she only engages with Nimba citizens during election seasons.
“My sister Edith Gongloe-Weh does not deserve the trust of the people of Nimba. She only shows up when elections are near. That’s unacceptable,” Wolokollie stated.
She stressed that Liberia’s development rests in the hands of committed citizens, not individuals driven by political ambition.
Addressing the ongoing leadership crisis at the Capitol Building, Wolokollie accused Bomi County Senator Edwin M. Snowe of leveraging his relationship with Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Youh to influence embattled House Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa to take the matter to court.
“What’s happening on Capitol Hill is political,” she said. “Cllr. Koffa should have worked with his colleagues to resolve the matter internally. But we now await the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
She called on all parties to respect the Court’s decision in the interest of national stability and progress.
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