08/28/2021
Few days ago I made a Facebook post that received a lot of reactions. Many more reactions and were sent to me privately than under the post itself - I respect that. I have friends that would rather disagree with me in private than public. Though I have no qualms with anyone disagreeing with me respectfully in public space- especially when it is issue-centered, I also respect those that do so privately. I have done so with many friends so I understand their rationale.
In my post about 2 days ago, I stated that Alexander Cummings will become the CPP's candidate in 2023. It will not be an easy ride, but I am still convinced he will be. I outlined many reasons why he will become the candidate. It is important to note that it is not the entire nation that makes this decision. This authority will be solely vested in the delegates and Cummings will influence delegates from across all political parties. He has a giant foot in Liberty party at the moment. He's reaching across the aisle and recruiting those that are experienced is Liberian politics. He recently appointed Isaac Vah Togba as Chief of Office Staff and several others declared membership, including Mulbah K. Yorgbor Jr.. Yorgbor is the SG of the Council of Patriots and he was very influential in the reelection of Abe Darius Dillon.
Many of those that disagreed with me did not argue Cumming's experience, education, agility, and ability to lead. In fact, many of them concurred with me that Cummings will be a better president than Boakai. However, their arguments were mostly focused on Boakai being more popular than Cummings. This is in part, if not whole, their overzealous desires to make Weah a one term president. Many of my friends used the outcome of the 2017 presidential election as the sole ground for their argument. Nothing else. They asserted that Boakai took the number two spot as opposed to Cummings who took the fifth spot. This is not a cogent argument for me. It is really flimsy.
Like I said before, from 2017 to 2023 it will be 6 years. Many things have changed. I don't mean to be malicious, but Boakai is even much more feeble today than he was 4 years ago. He cannot travel across Liberia to run a rigorous campaign against Oppong. Visibility matters in elections. I contested in District 8, Montserrado County in 2017, so I know what running a campaign entails. Cummings has this over Boakai. Boakai doesn't have cash to finance a nationwide campaign. He will need even more money in 2023 than he did in 2017. He struggled with financing his campaign in 2017 when he was a sitting vice president. He was forced to reschedule campaign activities because of lack of campaign funding. African campaigns are mostly financed by the vision bearers. There may be a few exceptions. Boakai has also failed to reconcile a heavily divided party. Unity Party is even more divided today than they were 4 years ago. That's a leadership failure. Cummings has succeeded in this area.
If the only yardstick to measure popularity is the outcome of the 2017 election, then it should be easy to conclude that Weah will win again in 2023 because he won the 2017 election. No. Many variables have changed. Alexander Cummings pulled a 5th spot in a heavily contested election in 2017 - being his first appearance in Liberia's politics and elections. Since then, he has worked very hard to change the narrative. Cummings is no longer the "stranger" he was in 2017. He has lived and engaged voters since he lost his last election. He has visited all parts of the country at least twice. In addition, both candidates that won the 4th and 3rd spots are no longer in the picture. One is dead and the other is not contesting. He has to battle for reelection in the Senate. This will greatly impact the way voters make decisions in 2023. Too many other factors will interplay. Cummings stands a greater chance than he did with his last bid. But of course, he will need the support of Boakai and other political actors- Urey, Nyonblee, Dillon, et al. No one candidate can defeat Weah. Boakai or Cummings cannot.
Finally, I'd like to make it emphatically clear that I am not a member of any political party. Never been a member of one. I have never met Cummings one-on-one. The closest I've ever been to Cummings is on a conference call with many others. His supporters hide him from smart and intelligent people. He's not accessible. A few greedy people keep building the walls of Jericho around him. His supporters can be intolerant of others, but this seems to be common to all parties. Cummings has a lot to do. He needs to work harder and make himself more accessible. He probably needs to get Boakai to support him without going to primaries. Maybe Boakai can nominate the veep. That's a deal. Commit a role to Costa and some of the big actors. Costa can hurt Cummings a lot. He has the following and he'll have no problem doing so. Costa can be vicious. He is effective because he is smart and eloquent. You want to keep him silent- which is difficult, but possible.
Boakai is an easygoing pops. He's not obsessed with becoming president. His kinsmen are pressuring him - the Lorma people, former officials of Ellen's regime, and those that don't want to work for an accountable government. Figure a way to infiltrate. The majority of Liberian politicians are not loyal people. They can flip anytime, especially when it involves interest. You'll have to talk to those you wouldn't otherwise sit with. Discount the ethics you upheld in corporate America. That's just the game. You'll need to meet with Prince Johnson, even though he murdered thousands of innocent Liberians. You can hand him to the international community later. It is that simple. You don't have time in your favor so act quickly. Establish an outstanding media team. Work with a local radio station or establish one. Expand your internet presence. Get someone that will match SpoonTalk or The Costa Show. This is not also easy, but it's possible. If you don't do so, these shows will not cover you as elections draw closer. That's the strategy. That's just my 2 cents! Hopefully folks read to the end.
