A former rebel leader played a prominent role in the First Liberian Civil War. Serving as leader of the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia, he captured, tortured and executed President Samuel Doe, who had himself overthrown and murdered the previous president William R. Tolbert Jr.
In recent weeks, the Nimba Senator and President George Weah have been enmeshed in a war-of-word after he publicly announced he won’t support the president’s second term bid ahead of the October presidential and legislative elections.
On last Sunday, President Weah took to the pulpit to preach to his congregation at his Forky Kloh Jlaleh Church, where he gave a direct political response to MDR and its founder, stating that he is not a murderer and in no way planning to kill anyone.
According to President Weah, if anyone should be accused of being a murderer, then it should be Senator Johnson, judging from his past records.
He accused the Nimba County Senator of having a tainted character and being a divisive figure who manipulates people to get what he wants.
President Weah also accused Senator Johnson of being a “blackmailer” who wants to get money from him (Weah) to render support to the Coalition for Democratic Change.
“Do I look like somebody who can kill anyone? Who are you for somebody to assassinate? You manipulate people every day. That’s why nobody want to work with you. Are you infallible? You don’t know what you did in this country? President Weah asked.
He further added ” Anybody that wanted to vote for us will vote for us. And anybody that is going to ask me for money because they want to declare their support to my party, I rather given the money to the people of Liberia… This government is not going to be tied down or blackmailed by anybody. If you don’t want to work with us step aside.”
Senator Johnson’s political party, the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction Party (MDR), last week accused Weah of allegedly plotting to assassinate Johnson, the party’s founding political leader, an allegation President Weah rebuffed, claiming that Johnson is being haunted by the ghosts of his past during the country’s civil war.
Addressing his congregation Sunday at the much-anticipated Sunday sermon at his Christ Chapel of Faith Ministry, where he preached on the theme The theme: “Do not allow your past to drive your present”, Senator Johnson said that Liberians are still judging from his past, thereby referring to him as a ‘murderer and blackmailer.’
Senator Johnson, however, cautioned Liberians not to dwell in their past especially as Christians because bringing the past into the present could cause the future to be doomed.
“If God changes someone, the person is freed indeed. The past is sometimes painful but people should allow it go,” the Senator said.
The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: Old things are gone; behold, all things are become new.
“Do we believe that in Liberia? That is a Christian dominant country. We still look at people’s past. We called people names. murderer, killer, a blackmailer. They call me.”
Senator Johnson boasted, “I am a product of God, a vessel that God is using to proclaim the gospel of saving grace. The gospel which bring me good news but yet Liberians don’t understand. He’s a murder, he’s fought war, so everybody says he’s killer, murderer and , he killed Doe.”
“These are things of the past, what is Senator, preacher man Prince Johnson doing in new Liberia, since I was ordained in Nigeria many years ago, What have you learned about me that is not in conformity with God’s plan to rebuild war-torn Liberia? ” he asked.
He indicated that over the course of the “new Liberia”, he has built a school that is providing quality education for students and has employed qualified professors in his university.
Senator Johnson warned Liberian to be mindful and properly assess in order to choose a selfless leader.
“ If you see people like us collaborating and we held our patient and after the collaboration documents expired. To do a new one we have to assess. The assessments of the five years are not so much encouraging for us to sign a new one that why I have been speaking. I am not against the President,” he said.
Throwing Jibes at Chief Cyril Allen
Senator Johnson responding to former National Patriotic Party ( NPP) former Chairman, Chief Cyril Allen, who described the Nimba County Senator as “tribalist”, said that Allen is being driven by the force of confusion.
He accused Allen of the being the strategic force who advised former President Charles Taylor to execute Nimbaians (residents of Nimba County).
According to him, the NPP former Chairman advised the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) leader Charles Taylor to kill and burned Samuel Doekey, Janet Dahn, and their children alive in the n car.
Said Senator Johnson, “Cyril Allen was a driven strategy that advised NPFL to burn alive Jackson F. Doe with the tire.
“If I am driven by tribalism, he was driven by a strategy that advised the NPLF to kill Moses Doepu, an ex-general. He was a man behind the screen with a strategy.”
Adding, “Cyril Allen was driven by a strategy to kill Stephen Yekeson, an astute professor. Yet you say I am a tribalist. Cyril Allen was driven by a strategy that advised the NPFL to grab John Yormie and Isaac Vick, handpicked them took them to Nimba leave them alive, and plug the eyes while they were living and crying.”
Senator Johnson, said Allen who advised Vice President Jewel Taylor’s group of NPP to field a candidate against him, needs to be “reborn” again.
Source: Front Page Africa
