Gbarnga, Bong – Newly elected Bong County senator, Henrique Tokpa says reconciliation remains high on his agenda for the people of the county.
Dr. Tokpa said he will ensure negative political rhetoric does not have any impact on citizens of Bong County.
Wounds created as a result of the election can only be nursed through peace talks and reconciliatory engagements, he added.
Dr. Henrique Tokpa is the winner of one of the two recently held senatorial by-elections in Bong and Monsterrado Counties respectively.
He defeated his main rival, a sitting lawmaker, Bong County District #3 Representative, Josiah Marvin Cole of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in Bong County, in an election characterized by the intense preaching of divisive politics and the peddling of hate messages.
One main individual heavily blamed for being divisive and charged for spewing out hate messages during the campaign period of the Bong County senatorial election, is vice president Jewel Howard-Taylor, the immediate past senator of the county, who supported Rep Cole’s senatorial bid.
VP Howard-Taylor was caught on tape using her position to preach hate in Bong County when she campaigned in the county for Representative Cole’s bid to replace her as senior senator of Bong County.
Howard-Taylor speaking to citizens in David Dean’s Town in Kokoya District, the Liberian Veep accused some members of the Bong Caucus including Senator Henry Yallah of corruption, claiming they are the reasons for the delay and mismanagement of funds for the project to pave the main street of the capital city of the county, Gbarnga, as well as the Bong County Technical College.
“The people are corrupt,” she said. “Where has the money for the road construction and college gone?”
She was also heard rallying citizens of Bong not to vote Dr. Tokpa, because according to her, he was too old and would be unable to serve properly if elected.
But speaking at the weekend in Gbarnga during his admittance as a member of the Bong County Legislative Caucus, the Bong County newest lawmaker said development in the county can only be successful if leaders are united and peaceful with one another.
“Developments will continue to stall if leaders of this great county are not willing to work together”, he said.
He continued: “It is time we put behind us the past and whatever election campaign brought among us to move Bong County forward.”
The program was attended by scores of lawmakers including Bong Caucus’s chairman, Senator Henry Yallah, according to our central Liberia correspondent.
According to our correspondent, Senator Yallah congratulated his colleague on his election and prayed upon his expertise to move Bong County forward.
