GANTA, Nimba – After initially pushing for the nomination of D. Dorr Cooper as superintendent of Nimba, Sen. Prince Johnson has vowed to no longer support Cooper for the post.

Speaking recently to a local radio station in Nimba, Johnson said he will not support Cooper’s confirmation because Cooper had betrayed him by modifying a document containing the list of nominees he had asked Cooper to submit to the minister of internal affairs.

“With what Dorr Cooper has done, I am not for Dorr Cooper, and I will not support Dorr Cooper for confirmation in the Liberian Senate,” Johnson said. “He has proven to me that he is not behaving right.”

Johnson, who supported the Coalition for Democratic Change during the runoff election, was given the responsibility by the new government to select 60 percent of the local government leaders in Nimba; the local CDC chapter would nominate the remaining 40 percent.

Johnson said Cooper had replaced the senator’s original choice for the post of assistant superintendent for development with Peter Karngbay, instead of Johnson’s original choice, Railey G. Myers. Johnson said he later reached out to Ministry of Internal Affairs to rectify the situation, although Myers’ appointment not yet been announced by the Executive Mansion.

Nevertheless, the senator said he was not pleased with Cooper’s actions.

“So, if I recommended Dorr Cooper, why will he go behind me and crookedly or clandestinely remove my people’s names and put his own people’s names there?” Johnson said. “Why would Dorr Cooper double cross me?”

Johnson’s announcement that he would withdraw Karngbay’s name for the post of assistant superintendent for development has sparked a peaceful protest from citizens of Kpablee District, from which Karngbay hails.

But Johnson remained firm on his decision, saying that because Karngbay’s name was not among the original list of nominees, it cannot be honored.

“Let them demonstrate; it’s part of democracy,” Johnson said. However, he added that “they got no genuine reason to demonstrate.”

Johnson said as a former solider, he has fought against the act of “dictatorship” all his life and he will not give in to whatever is imposed on him.

Meanwhile, Cooper has declined to speak to the issues raised by the Nimba lawmaker.

Featured photo courtesy of the Nimba County Administration