PHOTO: Senator Henrique Tokpa
By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia-Ahead of the holding of the 2023 general presidential and legislative elections in Liberia, many citizens in the central Bong County have criticized incumbent Senator, Dr. Henrique Flomo Tokpa for what they claim is “his inability to unite members of the county legislative caucus couple with his poor performance at the honorable Liberian senate”.
The aggrieved citizens, many of whom claim to be supporters of the Bong County Senator, believe that their son has massively failed them at the national legislature, and as such needs to be replace by a visionary son or daughter at the senate.
In separate interviews with this Reporter recently in Gbarnga, the citizens promised to retire the former Cuttington University President come the 2023 general elections.
One man said: “To be honest with you, I supported this old man in 2014 when he was running for the senate and later during the 2018 by-election which he won, with a hope that he was going to bring members of the caucus together, but we were wrong.”
“Something (reconciliation) that has and continue to undermine the county developmental agenda over the years, he has failed to accomplish under his watch. The youth and women empowerments is yet to be seen,” Moses L. Sackie, a resident of Tomue, Jorquelleh district #2 told journalists.
For Josiah Dolo, age 34 and a motorcyclist in Gbarnga, he believes that Senator Tokpa has not been able to prioritize the needs and well-being of the people of Bong County.
He added: “How can you tell us that you’re eating someone balance food. Is that your justification for your failure, when a penny cannot pass by you in the house of parliament. God is going to judge you, Tokpa.”
Senator Tokpa is on record for saying that he was going to reconcile the county especially members of the county legislative caucus.
Notable names that have been surfacing for the past few months that are working to unseat incumbent Senator, Henrique F. Topka include; Business Man, Johnny Kpehe, former President of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), Mohammed A. Nasser, former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mogana Flomo, Dr. Rennie B. Jackson, former Bong County Superintendent, Representative Edward Karfiah, among others.
The Senator is also on record for saying that he did not promised reconciliation, after a few years in the senate, a statement that has being greeted by sons and daughters of the county as outrageous.
Senator Tokpa, who was overwhelmingly voted by citizens of the county, replacing former Senator Jewel Howard Taylor and now Liberia Vice President in the 2018 by-election, is being heavily castigated by some prominent sons and daughters of Bong County both home and abroad. They claim he has done little or nothing since he got elected in 2018.
But Senator Tokpa has said that he has done his best for the county, naming the rehabilitation of farm to market roads, tuition aid, among others, as some contributions.
Some believe that the time has come to replace Senator Tokpa with a more honest and a visionary young man that is better prepared to lead the county.
They have warned him not to gamble his little money that he has earned from his labor to seek re-election comes 2023, something according to them will lead to his downfall politically.
Recently, Senator Prince Kermue Moye, Dr. Tokpa’s political son stated clearly that he will only support his father based on his track record.
He added, “If I will have to support Dr. Tokpa, he has to give me reasons, he will have to check himself very well before coming to me”.