By-Election Candidate Positions Himself As The Unifier Nimba Needs Following Prince Johnson's Death

 By Uriah Suah , Nimba Fellow                            

GANTA, Liberia — Two weeks before a critical by-election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of former warlord Prince Y. Johnson, Garrison Yealue is eager to emphasize his deep roots in Nimba County.

"We are entrenched in leadership," Yealue declared during a recent interview, tracing his lineage to the founding of the region.

"When you talk about warriors, I am the son of a warrior. My grandfather, from a paternal background, was next in line to Boya Manwe."

The April 22 by-election comes at a pivotal moment for Nimba County, Liberia's second most populous region and an economic powerhouse that Yealue claims generates the country's second-highest domestic revenue after Montserrado County, which contains the capital, Monrovia.

Seven candidates are vying to replace Johnson, the controversial former rebel leader who transformed himself into a powerful senator and political kingmaker before his death. Johnson's complicated legacy looms large over the contest.

Yealue, a lawyer who previously served in the House of Representatives, presents himself as someone who can honor Johnson's educational initiatives while bringing his forceful advocacy to the Senate.

"The last activities ever of Senator Johnson in Nimba were the dedication of an auditorium and the naming of a star after him," Yealue said. "It means education was very key to him."

If elected, Yealue promises to reopen the PYJ University, named after the late senator, which has remained closed. He also pledges to convene an "All Nimba Conference" in the southern part of the county to address long-standing divisions.

"Our diversity does not mean that we should divide ourselves," he said, acknowledging the county's complex ethnic makeup, which includes Gio, Mano, Krahn, Mandingo, and other groups that have sometimes found themselves on opposite sides of Liberia's conflicts.

He positioned himself as someone who will stand up against what he calls two pressing threats: the war economic crime code, which he opposes, and the pending renewal of a mining agreement with steel giant ArcelorMittal.

"If you vote for the Unity Party, it means you are selling out to the slaughterhouse," he warned, suggesting that without his voice in the Senate, Nimba's interests in the mining agreement would be compromised.

Critics question whether Yealue's past association with Johnson might overshadow his candidacy. Though he served as Johnson's secretary general at one point, Yealue insisted that they later parted ways over principle when the senator "denigrated" a woman from Yealue's chiefdom.

"When it comes to Nimba, I don't compromise on the Nimba issue," he asserted.

The by-election comes as Nimba County navigates complex economic challenges. Despite hosting major mining operations, many residents complain about poor infrastructure and limited job opportunities. During a recent visit to Yekepa, where ArcelorMittal operates, Yealue described the conditions as "terrible."

"What we want for Nimba is for Nimba to get her fair share of the national budget," he said, advocating for the enforcement of a revenue-sharing law that would keep 40 percent of locally generated revenue within the county.

As the April 22 election approaches, Yealue frames the contest as a choice between business as usual and his brand of uncompromising advocacy.

"Nimba has an opportunity to move forward," he concluded. "And that opportunity is in me."

Read about the other candidates here
Matenokay Tingbah