MONROVIA – To the people of Nimba County, the late Senator Prince Y. Johnson was known to them as their political ‘Godfather’ due to the protection he is said to have provided them during the heat of the devastating Liberian civil war nearly 36 years in 1990.
In his life time, the late Nimba County Senator, alias PYJ was popularly known as the “Godfather” of Nimba politics due to his commanding influence and affluence in determining which citizen or resident of the county ascended to a legislative seat on the national level.
PYJ gained such power during his revolutionary days, starting in the mid 1980’s and leading into the 1990s, when he ‘defended’ the people of Nimba County from annihilation from the claws of former Liberian president and military junta leader, Samuel Kanyon Doe.
According to the late Senator when he appeared before the erstwhile Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, he vehemently stated that he took arms along with others against the Doe government because he had to defend the people of Nimba from being erased from Liberia.
And so, it came as no surprise to most Liberians when Nimbaians in the thousands overwhelmingly supported the late Senator PYJ when he first declared his intention to contest the senatorial seat of their county in 2005, after falling out of favor with the Unity Party (UP) headed by Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the time.
From 2005 till his death in November 2024, Prince Y. Johnson won one of the county’s senatorial seats three different times for a nine-year-term respectively. He served for 18 years consecutively and was in his third term that would made him to serve for 27 years, where he would have been the longest serving senator in Liberia. And due to his influence almost every candidate’s hand the late PYJ would raise eventually won either a senatorial seat or representative seat, with the likes of the current Vice President of Liberia, Jeremiah Kpan Koung, and the now Senator Samuel Kogar, being beneficiaries.
It also a well-known fact that Senator Johnson’s influence made current Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung a candidate for his party, Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) to send him to the Unity Party (UP) and he was made running mate to former Vice president Joseph Boakai, where the both of them eventually ascended to the presidency and vice presidency in January 2024.
And even in death, it is said in Nimba County that the people resolved to replace PYJ with someone who he had nurtured politically, and true their words former Representative Samuel Kogar of the MDR, Prince Johnson’s party, was elected senator overwhelmingly by the people of Nimba to replace their fallen Senator – PYJ.
So, was MDR Betrayed by VP Koung and Senator Kogar as was Proclaimed by Nimba’s Activist?
It can be recalled days leading to the Nimba County Electoral District #5 by-election, one of the prominent activists in Nimba County and Liberia at large, Rev. Dr. Prince S. Woniewala, in a letter stirred political debate across Nimba County, as he indicted Vice President Koung and Senator Kogar of betraying the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), a political party that was the brainchild of their political ‘Godfather,’ the late Senator Johnson.
Addressed directly to the Vice President and the Nimba County Senator, the open letter expressed profound disappointment over what Rev. Woniewala described as their failure to publicly support the MDR candidate in the recent by-election for Electoral District #5.
Known for his outspoken activism, Woniewala criticized both officials for what he viewed as a serious breach of political loyalty and a disregard for the values of the party founded by the late Senator Prince Y. Johnson. “You were given opportunities to serve the people of Liberia — Vice President Koung as a Representative, then Senator, and now Vice President-through the political foundation laid by Senator Johnson,” the letter states. “It is disheartening that you would now jeopardize his legacy.”
Senator Kogar was also called out for allegedly attempting to undermine Johnson’s authority within the Nimba County Legislative Caucus. Woniewala referenced a failed effort by Kogar to remove Johnson as Caucus Chair, despite Johnson’s pivotal role in advancing Kogar’s political career. “Senator Johnson was instrumental in your ascent within the Legislature, yet you opposed his leadership,” the letter read.
The activist questioned the officials’ loyalty, arguing that their silence during the by-election suggested a lack of commitment to the party and its supporters. “If you cannot stand firmly behind the political institution that elevated you into public office, how can we expect you to make decisions that benefit the people of Nimba County?” he asked.
Woniewala further accused the two leaders of putting personal interests above party duty, calling their actions “shameful and disgraceful.”
Did Vice President Koung Join Unity Party?
It can be recalled in November 2024, Vice President Jeremiah Koung publicly clarified that he is a full-fledged member of the ruling Unity Party, following rumors suggesting he remains affiliated with the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR). The clarification, which came during a regular session of the Senate, dispelled speculation about his political allegiance.
Koung, who was elected as the running mate to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in the 2023 elections, confirmed that he officially joined the Unity Party prior to his selection as Vice Presidential candidate. The clarification followed reports that Koung had been the Political Leader of the MDR before his selection, sparking concerns about his political loyalty.
According to the Unity Party’s constitution, any individual chosen as Vice Presidential candidate by the party’s standard bearer must become a member of the party before being officially named. Koung confirmed that he met this requirement before the public announcement of his candidacy.
“The Unity Party’s constitution says before you become Vice Presidential candidate of the party, you must join as a member. I am a full-fledged member of the Unity Party,” Koung stated during his remarks in the Senate.
The Vice President’s clarification was made amid confusion fuelled by the MDR’s public statements, particularly after the then controversial election of Representative Richard Nagbe Koon as Speaker of the House of Representatives when former Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa was still the Speaker of the 55th Legislature. The MDR issued a “begrudging congratulations” to Koon, which led some to speculate that Koung still had ties to the opposition party.
Koung strongly dismissed these claims, attributing them to a misunderstanding of the Unity Party’s constitutional processes. “People are not reading; that’s all. Before you are selected as Vice President, you must go through the process. The Executive Committee must endorse you, and you must fill in the form,” he explained.
As the ruling party’s Vice President, Koung’s remarks sought to dispel any doubts about his political loyalty at the time to the MDR while reaffirming his commitment to the Unity Party’s vision.
No Public Record of Kogar Leaving MDR
Meanwhile, there has been no public record to state that Senator Samuel Kogar has left the MDR to join any other political party as was in the case of Vice President Koung, who reportedly joined the UP before he was confirmed as running mate to President Joseph Boakai.
NEC Declares MDR’s Korto Sehwongbay Kwagrue Winner of Nimba County District #5 By-Election
After the political debates and arguments over whether Vice President Koung and Senator Kogar distanced themselves from the candidate of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) in the just held Nimba County Electoral District #5 By-election, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has declared Korto Sehwongbay Kwagrue of MDR as the winner of the hotly contested Nimba County District #5 Representative by-election.
As NEC declared the final results, citizens and residents of Nimba County voiced out that despite Veep Koung and Senator Kogar not supporting the MDR candidate they chose to remain loyal to the spirit of their fallen Senator, Prince Y. Johnson, who protected them during the heat of the distressing Liberian civil war.
NEC Chairperson Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah, announced the results Wednesday, August 13, 2025 after the completion of vote tallying and validation.
Kwagrue secured 4,795 votes (31.39%), edging out independent candidate Borris B. Barleah, who received 3,938 votes (25.78%), and Augustus Karnay Menkoah of the VOLT Party, who garnered 3,080 votes (20.16%).
The by-election was triggered by the departure of former representative Samuel Kogar, who now serves as a senator under the MDR banner. The process was described as peaceful and orderly, with active participation from voters eager to shape their district’s leadership.
In remarks following the announcement, Madam Browne Lansanah commended the people of Nimba County for their peaceful conduct during the polls, noting that their commitment to democracy set a positive example for the nation.
The contest attracted ten candidates from diverse backgrounds, including youth activists and veteran politicians. Campaign activities were intense, featuring rallies, debates, and community forums as contenders presented competing visions for the district’s future.
Kwagrue’s victory is seen as a major political boost for the MDR, which has worked to maintain its stronghold in Nimba. Supporters say his win signals continuity in the District’s representation and a commitment to the party’s values of transparency, economic growth, and social welfare.
The result marks a new chapter for Nimba County Electoral District #5, as residents look to their new Representative to sustain the “developmental momentum” set by his predecessor and address pressing community concerns.
The late Nimba Senator and ‘Political Godfather’ will be happy in his grave as his influence despite being dead and gone to the celestial realm still lives in his beloved county, a county, according to him that he sacrificed his life to protect when the military junta and government of late Liberian leader Samuel Kanyon Doe tried to erased them from the face of earth.
It remains to be seen whether Veep Koung and Senator Kogar’s reported snubbing of the MDR candidate in the by-elections will come to hunt them in future elections as people who never stood by their political Godfather, a person known for making them who they are politically today in Liberia. Bookmakers are watching.
