VP Koung Warns Officials: Deliver Votes or Lose Jobs

By Lincoln G. Peters

YARWIN-MEHNSONOH, Nimba County, June 24, 2026 — Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung has warned appointed public officials that their future in government could depend on their ability to help President Joseph Nyuma Boakai secure victory in the 2029 presidential election.

Speaking Wednesday during a program in Zeekepa, Yarwin-Mehnsonoh District, Koung urged government officials to positively impact their communities by supporting local residents and strengthening public confidence in the Unity Party-led administration.

He cautioned that officials whose conduct discourages voters from supporting President Boakai could lose the opportunity to serve in a future administration.

“If the election comes in 2029 and the President wins, he will look at the numbers and where those votes came from,” Koung said. “If you were mean in your community and people refused to vote for the President because of your behavior, you will not get a job. This is not my position; it is the President himself who said so.”

The Vice President encouraged public officials to use their positions to assist people in their communities, arguing that even small acts of kindness could earn lasting public goodwill and translate into electoral support.

“If the President empowers you, empower someone else,” he said. “Some families will remember you because you helped them buy medicine worth just L$100. Not everyone will have the opportunity to work in government.”

Koung also reflected on the political legacy of the late Nimba County Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, saying the former warlord-turned-politician possessed a unique political influence that cannot be replicated.

He recalled campaigning alongside Johnson during previous elections, describing the late senator’s connection with the people of Nimba as extraordinary.

According to Koung, Johnson’s popularity was rooted in the sacrifices he made and the support he provided to the people of Nimba during difficult periods in the county’s history.

“Senator Johnson did not make himself a political godfather,” Koung said. “The people gave him that status because of the way they embraced and respected him. None of us has that grace. God gives different people different gifts.”

He noted that many candidates endorsed by Johnson, particularly during the 2011 elections, went on to win public office, describing the late senator’s political influence as a “God-given grace.”

Koung’s remarks come amid ongoing debate over who will emerge as Nimba County’s leading political figure following the death of Senator Johnson, whose influence shaped the county’s electoral politics for more than two decades.