GANTA, Nimba – As Liberia gradually moves towards holding of elections in 2017, there are formulations of several political parties across the country. One of the new parties is the Liberian People Democratic Party.

Last week, its leader and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Alex Tyler, was in Ganta and officially opened the Nimba County office of the LPDP. Tyler spoke with a crew of journalists about how impressed he was with the reception he received.

“I am so happy to see that the people of Ganta are prepared to receive us,” the Speaker told reporters. “As you can attest, the evidence is manifested by their turnout here today. With this reception that we received, it shows that the people of Ganta are ready to work with us, just as we have come to ask them to work with us too.”

Tyler said he was in Nimba to plant the flag of LPDP and officially open its office. He shared that the party’s future plans include opening establishments across the country.

“This is not just in Nimba that we are doing this, but we are going across the country to ensure that we open all of the offices,” he said. “As a matter of fact, the LPDP has offices in all the sixteen counties, and we are going to open all of them officially with the hoisting of our flag.”

According to the speaker, opening these offices across the country indicates the party’s preparedness for the forthcoming elections in 2017. He said this will send out a clear signal that LPDP is a formidable force for the upcoming presidential elections.

Tyler, who was not long ago a member of the Unity Party, informed reporters that LPDP was taking a two-week tour around the country to open its party’s offices in all counties.

He said following the completion of the offices’ openings; the party would go into the primary, thereby electing its standard bearer.

“That comes later. We are following the tendency of democracy, so you wouldn’t see the standard bearer of the party now because the party has not gone to primary,” Tyler revealed. “When we go to primary, we will elect who goes as the standard bearer for the party. But, that will be after we have opened our offices in all the counties.”

LPDP office in Ganta. Photo: Arrington Ballah

Tyler maintained that the party’s focus was on mobilizing people and informing them about the developmental agenda the party has put in place to move the country forward.

Tyler dismissed speculations around the country that he was the standard bearer of the LPDP.

“Unfortunately, you got it wrong.” he said. “I am not the main person behind the Party. I just officially joined the party on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, and that was after careful observations and consultations with political parties executives across the country.”

Although he did not state any names, Tyler said the LPDP had many individuals who were already at the party before his membership declaration. He maintains that his interest in becoming a part of the LPDP is to unite forces with those he called “strong guys” that he met at the party.

He asserted that LPDP’s heavy concentration on Nimba is not just about its relatively high population, but due to its location, which he termed as “very strategic.”

Nimba is the second most populous county in Liberia, behind Montserrado.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah