NIMBA COUNTY – More than 307,000 registered voters in Nimba County are expected to head to the polls Tuesday, April 22, for a high-stakes senatorial by-election — a race that has become a fierce contest over tribal representation, political dominance, and the legacy of the county’s most controversial powerbroker, the late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson.
The by-election follows Johnson’s death on Nov. 28, 2024. His tenure, which began in 2005, stands as the longest continuous service in the Liberian Senate’s history. Reelected in 2014 and again in 2023, Johnson’s final term was supposed to run until 2032. Seven candidates are now vying to complete that unexpired term, though only one will emerge to claim the vacant seat and, perhaps more importantly, his sprawling political empire.
The campaign season officially ended Saturday, April 19, according to the National Elections Commission. NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah confirmed that all is set for voting day.
“There are 262 voting precincts and 736 polling places in Nimba County. A total of 307,254 registered voters will go to the polls from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22,” Lansanah said in a national address. She urged voters to turn out peacefully and reminded them that only those with valid voter registration cards can vote—and only at their registered centers.
“No voter will be allowed to vote more than once,” she said, while also warning that no party-branded materials, including T-shirts or caps, will be permitted at voting centers.
Koung vs. Kogar: The Quiet Battle for Political Godfather
The election has taken on a deeper meaning as political heavyweights jostle to claim the late Johnson’s kingmaker role. Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Johnson’s political protégé and close ally, has thrown his full weight behind Representative Samuel Kogar—the candidate for Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR).
While Koung publicly endorses Kogar, insiders say the two are locked in a silent rivalry for the position of Nimba’s next political godfather.
“VP Koung is not supporting Kogar out of love or friendship,” said one resident, who asked to be identified as Simeon Zorgaye. “He’s doing it to protect his own relevance and future political ambitions—including possibly running for the presidency.”
Zorgaye explained that Kogar, despite facing stiff resistance from Johnson in past elections, emerged victorious both in 2017 and 2023. “PYJ tried to stop Kogar by backing other candidates, but Kogar beat them both. That makes him a political force,” he said. “Koung knows letting Kogar struggle alone could backfire on him politically.”
According to Zorgaye, both Koung and Kogar had fallen out of favor with Johnson before his death. “He kept them close while searching for a true successor who could handle Nimba without stirring chaos,” he added.
He also reflected on Johnson’s polarizing legacy: “He was controversial, but at the end of every political battle, he called for peace. He blocked Senator Thomas Grupee from reelection just because he was Gio—Johnson didn’t want tribal dominance. He loved smart people, regardless of tribe or party, but Nimba politics has become toxic.”
From the Grave: “PYJ Will Not Sleep Until 2029”
At a recent campaign rally in Gbehla-Gbeh, Koung invoked Johnson’s spirit. “Let me speak to my father, the late Prince Yormie Johnson, to show us the way as we go to the polls,” he said. “This election is for Kogar, and not a single vote should go to any other candidate.”
He referred to Gbehla-Gbeh as the “electoral college of Nimba” and asked residents to deliver a landslide victory for Kogar, adding, “PYJ will not sleep until 2029”—a cryptic nod to long-term ambitions and control of the county’s political future.
Tribal Tensions, Allegations of Misuse of Office
Koung’s aggressive involvement has triggered backlash, especially from Edith Gongloe Weh, the only female candidate in the race. She accused the vice president of abusing state resources for partisan gains.
“It’s like I’m contesting against the Vice President,” she told The Liberian Investigator. “For him to abandon the Liberian people’s job just to campaign for Kogar is embarrassing.”
Weh also alleged that Koung had urged her not to run, claiming Nimba already has a Mano senator and that a Gio (Dan) senator was needed. This has further inflamed tribal tensions in a county where ethnic balance is a sensitive issue.
Many voters believe elections should be about competence and service delivery—not ethnicity or symbolism.
Bility’s Absence Weakens CMC Candidate
Mack Gblinwon, candidate of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) led by businessman Musa Bility, has reportedly been campaigning with limited support. Bility’s prolonged absence from the country has left his candidate politically vulnerable.
“At this critical time, Bility shouldn’t have left his candidate exposed,” said one Gblinwon supporter in Sanniquellie.
Symbolism and Succession: The Leap Over the Coffin
One of the by-election’s most talked-about moments was when Kogar leaped four times over Johnson’s coffin during the funeral—a traditional act in Nimba that symbolically suggests spiritual and political succession.
Supporters viewed the gesture as a bold claim to Johnson’s throne. Critics saw it as hollow theater.
“No one gave him that authority,” said a young female resident. “He’s just desperate for power. If PYJ were alive, Kogar wouldn’t have dared show his face and call himself our godfather.”
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