Africa-Press – Liberia. The Unity Party’s grand fundraising dinner in Ganta last week was supposed to be a triumphant reaffirmation of political strength in Nimba County but it ended up exposing a deepening rupture between the ruling establishment and the very constituency that delivered its historic victory less than a year ago.
Organizers had envisioned a night filled with music, speeches and pledges to support the construction of party offices in Sanniquellie, Bahn and Saclepea. Instead, what unfolded was a quiet revelation of resentment as rows of empty seats stared back at high ranking officials who had made the long journey from Monrovia expecting a hero’s welcome.
For weeks the dinner had been promoted as a homecoming celebration. It was advertised as the ruling party’s opportunity to reconnect with Nimba and express gratitude to the county that provided the crucial vote margin in the 2023 presidential election.
Yet when the evening arrived the anticipated groundswell of support was missing. Nimba, Liberia’s second most populated and politically influential county, simply did not show up. In a hall filled with polished shoes, tailored suits and government plated vehicles parked outside, the conspicuous absence of ordinary supporters carried meaning that could not be ignored.
Nimba’s importance in the last election remains central to the national political narrative. With remarkable turnout the county delivered more than seventy percent of its votes to Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Jeremiah Kpan Koung, reshaping the political map and helping secure the Unity Party’s return to power.
Partisans and ordinary citizens alike believed their overwhelming support represented an investment in leadership that would be repaid through development, access and job opportunities. For many the silence of the fundraising hall echoed a sense of betrayal and unmet expectations.
Throughout the night the disconnect between the leadership and the base was unmistakable. While officials occupied the front rows and exchanged greetings among themselves many of the county’s most loyal foot soldiers remained at home either by choice or by protest.
Whispered conversations around the venue pointed to simmering frustration. Several attendees quietly criticized what they saw as misuse of government vehicles at the event. Others expressed confusion about the heavy presence of officials contrasted with the absence of the voters who normally fill party spaces with energy.
Residents who stayed away offered varying explanations but most centered around hardship and disillusionment. Some said the economic strain made attending a political fundraiser unnecessary. Others insisted the party has grown distant and unresponsive since taking office.
A growing number believe the Unity Party has failed to appreciate Nimba despite the county’s central role in securing national power. Many pointed to a pattern in which only a select handful of county elites benefit from appointments while thousands of volunteers remain on the outside waiting for acknowledgement.
A district coordinator who has served the Unity Party for more than a decade expressed the growing dissatisfaction bluntly. He said the distance between party leaders and the grassroots is not imagined but real and widening. According to him partisans who spent days and nights mobilizing during the electoral season now feel invisible. He emphasized that their disappointment is no longer rooted in rumor or speculation but in lived experience and unmet promises.
Another local mobilizer said the situation is painful for those who believed the party’s success would also become their success. He said many supporters trekked long distances during the campaign to spread the party’s message only to watch a few individuals enjoy privileges now that political power has shifted. He argued that the poor turnout at the fundraising dinner is only a reflection of conversations happening daily in towns and villages where people feel abandoned.
A secretary of one of the Unity Party’s auxiliary groups described the current mood as dangerously discouraging. He said many supporters assumed that a change in leadership would translate into opportunities, no matter how small, but instead they have encountered silence from those they helped put in office. He warned that the party risks losing its emotional and symbolic bond with the grassroots that defended it at critical moments during the campaign.
Women’s political leaders across the county are also frustrated. A women’s coordinator from Gbehlay Geh said the absence of female partisans at the rally was intentional and symbolic. She explained that women who cooked for campaign teams, organized meetings and mobilized communities feel sidelined after the election.
She noted that even minor appointments or community based roles were expected but none have materialized. According to her the ruling party must urgently revisit its relationship with the women who kept its base alive at the grassroots.
In the Zoe Gbao belt youth leaders expressed similar disappointment. One described the young voters who carried the party’s message across rugged motorbike trails as the most frustrated group in the county. He said young partisans feel like strangers in a government they helped build and emphasized that several had hoped for junior level employment or even internship opportunities. None of those hopes have been fulfilled and many now believe their efforts meant little to the leadership.
As officials delivered speeches Superintendent Kou Meapeah Gono used her platform to highlight development plans and announced an audit of her administration. She urged Nimbaians to give the Unity Party six more years to realize its vision but her remarks failed to quiet critics who accuse her of neglecting community relationships. Journalists who attempted to question her about allegations surrounding the County Social Development Fund were denied access further deepening concerns about transparency.
Vice President Koung sought to bring lightness to the evening but began by noting that his primary reason for visiting Ganta was to attend the memorial of Senator Prince Johnson rather than the fundraising event. This admission combined with the empty seats surrounding the stage did little to energize supporters or reassure those who were already doubtful.
Printiss Domah who recently resigned from the fundraising committee said the turnout was intentional. He described it as a deliberate and peaceful message from the people of Nimba. He emphasized that frustration is not aimed at President Boakai or Vice President Koung but at local officials who have failed to maintain meaningful interactions with the communities that supported them. Domah argued that despite Nimba producing several influential figures in the current administration the county has seen little progress in jobs infrastructure or development.
Two time senatorial candidate Armstrong Gobac Selekpoh provided an even more somber assessment. He revealed that more than ten thousand dollars worth of fundraising cards remained unsold because the intended donors simply did not attend. According to him the ratio of vehicles to people at the venue symbolized the growing divide between officials and ordinary citizens.
It has become a quiet declaration that the county’s political patience is wearing thin. The silent protest witnessed in Ganta reflects a deeper sentiment. Support is no longer guaranteed, loyalty cannot be taken for granted and political relationships must be sustained through action, engagement and genuine recognition.
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