- Koijee Assures Cidicians And Urges Them To Support CDC’s Candidates
By: Jerromie S. Walters
Jefferson T. Koijee, the Secretary General of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), has emphasized that the party’s leadership will be decisive in protecting their supporters’ interests following their reelection in October of this year.
On an occasion over the weekend, marking the certification of candidates that won the party’s just-ended primaries, Koijee elaborated that under the current leadership of the CDC, they are paramount and intrinsically concerned about their supporters’ interests.
He thanked their supporters for their commitment to the party, encouraged them to remain vigilant for the party, and vowed that they would not ignore their relentless efforts.
The CDC Secretary General, however, encouraged supporters of the party to ensure that the president wins the first round, as he believes it will limit their chances of getting appointed and other significant opportunities if it doesn’t work that way.
Additionally, he encouraged them to also support the party’s candidates, and the party would ensure that they fully benefited from their commitment.
He’s passionate about their supporters taking charge of the workings and activities of their candidates, as he believes candidates are the party’s property.
“Make sure that these people are elected; we don’t want a mistaken incident of 2017, we want your jobs to be protected by you, but you have a responsibility; stop going on loan”, he urged.
He wants the candidates to respect their supporters, remain committed to the party’s interests, and work with the party’s structure.
At the same time, Jefferson T. Koijee praised all the candidates that participated in the primaries. He thanked the President and Chairmen of the Coalition for Democratic Change for allowing him to head the primary committee.
Koijee venerated those candidates who lost the primaries but respected the outcome and remained obedient to the party. He said some of those individuals will be used on the party’s campaign team.
However, he frowned at candidates who won the primaries but failed to attend the certification ceremony.
In his view, it is a huge disrespect to the party, especially for candidates who aren’t traveling long distances, because candidates from rural areas were present.
“If you disrespect the party’s authority, the party’s authority will disrespect you in the district,” he noted.
At the same time, Mulbah K. Morlu, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)’s Chairman, described the satisfactory outcome of the conduct of the CDC primary as a democratic success for the party.
Not only this, he venerated the fact that the process was conducted freely, fairly, and peacefully.
More to this, he hailed the fact that the process entertained and led to female victory, as well as the victory of a disabled candidate who defeated a sitting lawmaker.
In his view, all of the above are apt reasons to venerate the conduct of the primary.
However, he believes the primary has ended, and it is now the supporters’ responsibility to ensure that the president gets re-elected.
He described it as a patriotic and democratic responsibility of those who won the primary and as their priority.
“The reelection of the President is tied to the election of every candidate of the party “, he said.
On behalf of the various candidates, House Speaker Chambers thanked the president for the opportunity.
He reassured them of their willingness to ensure the president’s first-round victory. In his opinion, the president has made governance visible.
Earlier at the occasion, Abel Massalay, an ex-representative, senator, and steward of the CDC, congratulated the various candidates and admonished them to make more efforts to ensure that they won their respective seats.
He thanked their supporters for their commitment to the party, encouraged them to remain vigilant for the party, and vowed that they would not ignore their relentless efforts.
In a remark, the Secretary General of the National Patriotic Party, Andrew Peter, applauded those that participated in the process, concisely, for electing those who he believes are the best to win the respective seats they are vowing for.
He’s convinced that their standard-bearer victory is certain, as are those that are contesting representative and senatorial seats.
Peter thanked the Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Mulbah K. Morlu, and the party’s Secretary General and Chair of the primaries committee, Jefferson T. Koijee, for their commitment to the process.
Before the separate remarks, it was made known In the overview of the primaries by a steward of the CDC that the primaries started on June 29 and took 8 days to be concluded across the 73 districts and 15 political subdivisions.
According to him, and In line with its proceeding, the voting process of the primary includes zone heads, members from the women’s wing, the youth league, and the central leadership, which is also made up of 20 people.
He said the coordinators from each of the nine collaborating parties of the CDC voted for the various candidates in the different districts.
The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) announced the winners of the just-ended primaries that were conducted in the 73 districts and 15 political subdivisions late Friday, July 14, 2023, at the party’s headquarters in Congo Town.
Addressing a news conference at the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)’s headquarters on Friday, June 16, 2023, the Party’s Chairman announced the Coalition’s 33-member organizing committee, which is charged with the responsibility to conduct democratic elections through which delegates from all electoral constituencies will choose candidates to contest legislative seats.
The Coalition’s Primary Organizing Committee was chaired by its Secretary General, Jefferson T. Koijee, and co-chaired by NPP Stalwart Mark Keshan. The committee will create a free, fair, and democratic framework within which voting delegates will exercise their rights to participate.
Others on the committee were: Abel Massalay, Co-chair/Legal, Emmanuel T. Swen, Co-Chair/Elections, Alexander Saylee, Co-Chair/Planning, Eric Kpayea, Operation, Allison Barco, Spokesperson, Emmanuel Johnson, Secretary General; Pascal Dahnte, Dep. Secretary General, Records; Ronald Mendscole, Logistic; James Johnson, Public Relations; Robert Sammie, Dispute Resolution; Urias Goll, Member; and scores of other members
On the Primaries’ Advisory Committee were Cyril Allen, Chairman; Mike Doryen, Co-Chair; Boka Wreh, member; Charles Gibson, member; Sidiki Fofana, member; Alfred Gibson, member; Whilemetta Pisi Saydee-Tarr, and several others.
Conspicuously, for the primaries at the parties’ level, delegates were drawn from the nine (nine) constituent parties, and there shall be 150 delegates from each party who shall participate at the district levels in the primaries as electrics, while the sum of the delegates from all districts in a county participating in the primaries at the county level as electrics.
“Each district, the 9 political parties will produce 150 persons each, constituting 1350 persons to decide who contests on the party’s ticket in each district and to be the senatorial candidate in each county, the 1350 persons per district being multiplied by the number of districts in that county”, the committee clarified, and noted that the actual number of persons, based on the number of districts in the county, would have been needed to vote a senatorial candidate on the party’s ticket.
“This is to say, the CDC primary process will be the first of its kind in Liberia, with 98,558 persons participating”, they noted.
The counties were arranged into regions. Region one (1), comprised of Montserrado and Margibi Counties, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Maryland counties, made up region 2 (two), Nimba and Lofa Counties made up Region 3 (three), Grand Bassa, River Cess, and Bong Counties made up region 4 (four), Grand Kru and Sinoe counties will make up region 5 (five), while Gbarpolu, Bomi, and Grand Cape Mount counties made up region 6 (six).
