Africa-Press – Liberia. Recent spike in derogatory comments between President George M. Weah and his onetime political father Senator Prince Johnson has left much to be desired.
Some say it all started in early 2021 at the beginning of President Weah’s County Tour in Nimba County when Sen. Johnson in a meeting with Nimba elders presented to President Weah a reminder laundry list of demands for the people of Nimba,
Sources close to the meeting said there was a complete deadlock at the meeting amidst accusations and counter-accusations which were kept out of the public glare.
However, others say the rift between the two intensified after Sen. Johnson was placed on the U.S. government sanction for alleged corruption (pay to play). These sources believe that Sen. Johnson felt betrayed by the Weah administration who could have done something to prevent the sanction.
As all efforts to bury their hatchets behind the scenes failed, Sen. Johnson decided to go public describing the president as a man who does not keep promises and breaks deals to the disadvantage of political partners.
He went a little further to claim unpaid county corporate development funds paid by Arcelor Mittal but siphoned by the government to his party fielding a candidate and not supporting the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in 2023 because of Mr. Weah’s failure to keep his promises.
What are Sen. Johnson’s demands?
Sen. Johnson who took President Weah, then candidate Weah to Nigeria to be prayed for by the late T.B. Joshua said President Weah made commitment to award jobs to his kinsmen but later turned his back on him after victory was secured in 2017.
He said President Weah only gave one ministerial position-Minister of Post and Telecommunication and one deputy commerce minister and an assistant minister at the ministry of mines.
According to Sen. Johnson that was not the agreement and therefore he considered that a breach of promise by President Weah.
He has since been on a tarried, calling Mr. Weah all kinds of names and so far, becoming one of his revered critics using his pulpit to throw jibes at the president.
The public criticism of President Weah and threats not to support his second-term bid prompted a high-power delegation from the CDC to meet Sen. Johnson.
But Sen. Johnson has remained recalcitrant and as if his demands were not enough, he has further accused the government of trying to kill him.
What has President Weah Said?
President Weah refuted the accusation and branded Johnson a blackmailer, saying, “If you do not want to work with us, get on the side, we have other people.”
“You are manipulating people every day. Give me this and give me that. Are you infallible? We are not working with you again, you can go anywhere you want to go,” Weah said while preaching at his Forky Klon Family Church along the Roberts International Airport highway two Sundays ago.
“You say the Government wants to kill you,” he said. “Do I look like someone that can kill somebody? You forgot to know that those you killed already may be running behind you. We are trying to make sure that everyone is at peace. We are not afraid of anybody.”
The claim of assassination was originally put forward by Sen. Johnson’s party, which presented no evidence for their claim. But pointed to unnamed intelligence with government.
However, whatever the impasse between both president Weah and Sen. Johnson is that have found its way to their respective pulpit is, is only known to both men.
The public will only listen to their frustration because they are not likely to reveal the root cause as was claimed by Sen, Johnson that he could not discuss serious political matters in the Presence of Foreign Minister Kamayah, Maritime boss Eugene Nagbe and others.
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