Filed in by Olando Testimony Zeongar – 0776819983/0880-361116/life2short4some@yahoo.com
Monrovia – The Mayor of the City of Monrovia Jefferson Tamba Koijee has hinted that he may go after opposition politician of the immediate past ruling party the Unity Party (UP), Madam Cornelia Kruah-Togba, if she fails to take advantage of what he calls an opportunity he has given her to retract assertions attributed to her that he shot and killed someone during the recent bloody fracas that engulfed the Gardnerville suburb, when violence erupted between supporters of candidates of the opposition and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) during the climax of their respective campaigns for the recently held Representative by-election in Montserrado County electoral district #13.
Koijee told a well-attended press conference Tuesday that he was giving Madam Togba up to the end of yesterday, to muster what the Mayor calls the moral high ground to state that the facts regarding the Montserrado County District #13 recent electoral violence were misrepresented by her.
According to Koijee, there is a recording in which Madam Togba accused him of killing somebody, stating that he’s giving the opposition politician an opportunity to retract such statement and set the record straight that she was misinformed and misled into grossly misrepresenting the facts surrounding what actually transpired during the bloody electoral melee.
“She needs to muster the moral high ground, go back to the microphone and say that I was being misinformed. Because if you say somebody has died, since the 17th of November and we cannot trace the hospital, we cannot trace the family, these are not good situations,” said Koijee, who insisted that the damage done to his character must be reversed.
Mayor Koijee noted that to have alleged that he shot someone to death is grieved, saying, “And I am not an ordinary person; you’re talking about a high government official, to say he killed somebody, in a volatile society we have. And that’s why I didn’t rush to talk, because I wanted to give my distinguished sister an opportunity.”
He said he was giving the opposition politician an opportunity to do a retraction of her murder claim levied against him because he sees her as a young lady loaded with potentials, adding that had it been any other person outside of his generation (youthful generation), his approach would have been different.
Koijee, who doubles as Major of the City of Monrovia and chair of the youth league of the President Weah’s party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), did not say what approach he would have resorted to, but disclosed that he has lots of options available to him.
He further stated that he was also giving Madam Togba such opportunity because he does not take pleasure in going after someone in his generation, even though he did not explain what he means about going after her.
Koijee also warned that he did not want to be the one to make Togba to short-live what she ought to be in Liberia, having earlier alluded to the opposition politician being a very brilliant lady, who he said has a great future ahead of her and that she could become anything good in the country.
“I want to give her an opportunity because I do not find pleasure in going after someone in my generation, she’s a young lady. Politics should not brew enmity among us. I do not see it that way. Politics is not a do or death thing. We must live beyond politics, and I do not want to be the person that will be responsible to short-live what she ought to be,” he said.
“She needs to go to these recordings, whosoever influenced her that [she] did what she did, she has an opportunity,” Koijee insisted, and without stating what options he has available to him, the Mayor continued, “If she fails to do that, there are many other options that I have, I will pursue those options, But I do not want to pursue those options.”
‘Koijee’s account’
Giving his account of what took place in Montserrado County Electoral District #13 on 17 November, Koijee began by condemning the violence that led to several persons sustaining injuries, terming it as an unfortunate situation that pains his heart,
He explained that as a kid he grew up in Gardnerville, the community where the fracas took place, stating that he cannot be part of anything that will cause the people of the area any embarrassment.
“So that situation for me, the fact that it resulted into embarrassing the community; that stones were being thrown – and I know the challenges and the difficulties the people go through. I have been through that situation on many occasions. So I think it’s wrong, it’s condemnable from every side,” he said.
Koijee denied ever being a part of the violence nor instigating same, stating that even though he’s aware that there are those whose names he did not disclose, but claimed they have exerted every efforts to picture him in a very negative way, he will not resort to violence.
“I have never stood for that, I will never stand for that, and even in the future, I will not do that – even though, we understand how people have exerted effort to picture us in a very negative way,” said Koijee.
He bragged that history remains clear about his role in politics in the country, saying that throughout his political career from 2005 to 2017, he had never engaged in any violence, though the electoral processes in those years according to him were characterized by violence and in some instance taking away of life.
Before coming to national politics, Koijee recalled that in 2004 as a youthful student activist, when he served as president of the National Students Union, he led peaceful struggles on the behalf of the student community, women and young people in the country.
Making reference to a photo making the rounds on social media, with him carrying a gun and some of his followers bearing machetes, Koijee said “so you cannot portray us [as] what we’re not.” It’s not even because of the CDC. That has been our nature – we started engaging in organizing young people in the issues of peaceful engagement as far back – that is our calling, that is what we were taught to do, that’s how we are. So there is no amount of sponsored picture [that] will defeat that kind of nature that made us who we are today.”
‘Stone-throwing’
Koijee further explained that he foresaw a state of pandemonium when the election’s timetable reflected that the political parties and contestants in the District-13 by-election were to launch their rallies simultaneously, but stated that when he raised this with the National Elections Commission (NEC), the NEC allayed his fears by acting brilliantly, by allowing the ruling party candidate and his supporters to have used the Iron Factory Field, while the opposition candidate and her supporters were confined at the other end of Gardnerville, at New Georgia.
“We went to the place and I got the information that said – the other group, the other people have blocked the road and the other CDCians that were on the other side could not come,” he said.
Koijee intoned that at that juncture, in his wisdom and understanding, the best he could have done, at a time he said when partisans and supporters of the ruling party being allegedly blocked were gearing up to retaliate, and knowing that this would have not been healthy, especially in the face of President Weah being scheduled to arrive in support of the CDC candidate, he demonstrated leadership by walking through a crowd of opposition supporters to where the CDCians were being allegedly trapped.
On his way to New Georgia, where the Cornelia campaign team was rounding up its activities for the close of campaign, he said he waved her greetings and pass her bye.
“I met a huge crowd and I said look gentlemen, all I want you to do. Do not confront these people. You need to quiet down your emotion, your president is coming, he’s at the Iron Factory Field, if he gets into things, things will escalate here and it does not augur well for you. If you’re sure you will win this election as you did in 2017. The best way to defeat these people is at the ballot boxes. We’ve applied that before, and we can do it again,” Koijee said he told the aggrieved supporters of the CDC candidate.
He added: “While I was in that conversation, to my utmost surprise, I heard that a group of people were running coming, and I heard that they said they have instruction that has been issued to have me arrested – to have a citizens’ arrest, and they became to stone.
Howbeit, Koijee further explained that there were two sides to that argument, “Major, you got to leave, it was easy for me; people offered their homes to me. Like I said to you, I grew up in Gardnerville, so I know my way out in Gardnerville very well,” he said bragging that he also has the energy to have found his way out, “But the issue was, after my departure, what could have happened? Because the purpose of me going to New Georgia was to ensure that peace reigned, and that there be no violence”
“So I went through that and I walked on the street and you saw I kept talking to the young people [to] stop. When I was going, I was being stoned at,” said Koiyee, who added that couples of stones were aimed at his direction, even coming very close to harming him.
He narrated that even the police officers on duty during the political rallies were not spare, as the stone-throwing rioters took aim at them as well.
“So when I arrived, and insured that that situation was calmed and cleaned, and I will be very grateful that our people were able to be calmed down, because that was both sides doing it, I walked through – even the police was being stoned at, at that occasion,” Mayor Jeff said.
