Monrovia-Vice President Jeremiah Koung and Senator Samuel Kogarare locked in a fierce political feud over who controls NimbaCounty’s District 5, turning the upcoming by-election right into a high-stakes battle for dominance within the county’s energy construction.
The 2 leaders, who introduced a united entrance throughout the April 2025 senatorial by-election that propelled Kogar to the Senate, are actually again on opposing sides. Their fragile alliance has crumbled over competing ambitions, with each males decided to put in their most well-liked candidate within the Home of Representatives.
Kogar, a three-term former consultant of District #5, is backing his political ally Augustus Menkoah to succeed him. Although he hasn’t publicly declared assist, a number of sources near the senator affirm he has privately assured Menkoahof his full endorsement and is pushing for him to run on the Motion for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) ticket–the identical celebration Kogar joined forward of his profitable Senate bid.
However Vice President Koung, who beforehand led the MDR as its 2023 standard-bearer earlier than distancing himself from the celebration, is throwing his weight behind a distinct contender: KortorKwagrue. Regardless of not being an official member of the celebration, Koung is accused of interfering in its inner course of and influencing a swiftly organized July 1 major in Monrovia to safe Kwagrue’s nomination.
The transfer has deepened tensions between the 2 camps, with Kogar’s allies accusing Koung of sabotaging celebration unity and undermining the senator’s authority in his residence district.
“It is a energy seize,” mentioned a supply inside Kogar’s camp. “The VP needs to dam Kogar from constructing his personal political base and sending a powerful message that he controls each the Senate and Home seats in Nimba.”
Observers imagine Koung sees Kogar’s rising affect as a risk to his personal standing in Nimba—and doubtlessly his presidential ambitions for 2029. “If Kogar manages to put in his candidate in District 5, it solidifies his grip on native politics and will weaken Koung’s dominance,” mentioned a political analyst in Ganta. “This by-election has changed into a showdown between two political heavyweights.”
The MDR, based by late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, is caught in the midst of the feud. Johnson, as soon as thought to be the county’s political godfather, has been largely silent on the matter. However celebration insiders fear that Koung’s unofficial affect over the July 1 major dangers eroding inner cohesion and alienating supporters.
Some MDR members have expressed concern over what they see as exterior manipulation of the first course of, warning that it might break up the celebration forward of the August 12 vote. Others say the rivalry threatens to undo the short-lived unity that emerged throughout the April senatorial race.
Regardless of the VP’s alleged interference, Kogar stays defiant. His inside circle says the senator is assured in his assist base and is mobilizing to make sure Menkoah’s victory. “Our individuals know who’s been with them and who hasn’t,” one aide mentioned. “We’re not backing down.”
To this point, greater than 10 people have expressed curiosity in contesting the by-election, and the quantity is predicted to develop within the coming days. However the actual contest is extensively seen as a proxy warfare between Koung and Kogar, with the result more likely to outline the political trajectory of Nimba County heading into the 2029 normal and presidential elections.
