GBARNGA, Bong – As campaign for the November 7 presidential runoff election continues, 15 representative candidates who contested in the October 10 elections in Bong have declared their support for the Coalition for Democratic Change.
The candidates come from different political parties and are mostly candidates who placed second or third in the legislative races.
They are Edward Gboe, James Dorbor Sao, Jesse Gonkpah, Morris Tokpah, Albert Toukolon, Jeremiah Bokay, Peter Flomo, Theophilus Mulbah, John Alvin Blackie, James Paye, Shelor Namue, Melvin Salvage, Foday Fahnbulleh, Emmanuel Dillon, Matthew Siakor Jr. and Morris Tokpah.
Liberty Party’s Edward Gboe had contested in Bong’s third district and finished in the third position with 3,888 votes. Emmanuel Dillon, an independent candidate, had contended in the first district and finished in the second position with 5,264 votes. Peter Flomo of the Alternative National Congress and James Dorbor Sao of Coalition for Liberia Progress, both contested the legislative seat in the fifth district and received 3,560 and 2,612 votes, third and fourth places, respectively.
Melvin Salvage of Liberty Party obtained 3,771 votes in the legislative race for the second district, while Matthew Siakor, Jr. of the Alternative National Congress earned 3,307 votes, putting him in the third position in the same district.
Along with these candidates, three other prominent Bong citizens also declared their support for CDC including William B.S Kollie, the dismissed inspector of Bong; former comptroller of the Bong, Emmanuel Diabolo; and Jonah Togbah.
In their statement of support, the candidates wrote that they had consulted with their respective campaign teams and cross sections of their supporters and other stakeholders and are convinced that CDC is the best option for Liberia.
The candidates also said their decision is a “show of county solidarity†to Bong’s Senator Jewel Howard Taylor, who is the running mate to George Weah on the CDC ticket.
“We price our county, Bong, and commit to placing it above the political interest of any other county as it is our own,” the statement read. “Henceforth, the place of Bong County on the top leadership of our country is paramount to us above ALL other interest.”
The candidates said they have “shared interest” in the social, economic, and political development of their respective districts, county, and the country at large as prominent citizens and stakeholders of Bong.
They vowed to campaign for the election of Weah and Howard Taylor as president and vice president in the runoff election.
CDC supporters in Bong have welcomed the candidates’ support and expressed optimism that it will help their party win Bong again.
Supporters of Unity Party, meanwhile, have said the fact that the candidates could not win their respective seats means that their support to CDC may not change the results much in Bong for the runoff.
In the October 10 election, the Coalition for Democratic Change received 61,520 votes in Bong, compared to Unity Party’s 51,538.
Featured photo by Moses Bailey
