ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE VICE STANDARD BEARER OF THE UNITY PARTY AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITY PARTY BROAD STREET, MONROVIA LIBERIA APRIL 28, 2023

Today after several years, months, weeks and days of intensive consultations, alignments, realignments, vetting and soul-searching, we have come to announce RESCUE TWO, our Partner for the ensuing October 10, 2023 Presidential Elections in our mission rescue Liberia.

When I set out on this journey many years ago, my focus was and has always been on one agenda: COUNTRY FIRST, LIBERIA FIRST! I am on record to have said to the Liberian people that “Liberia is not a poor country, but the perennial problem of this country is mainly triggered by greed, the lack of sound and honest leadership,” little of which we have experienced in the last several decades of our nearly 200 years of statehood. I am also on record saying that “I have a mission, and that mission is to ensure that the lost image of Liberia is restored.”  So, on this momentous day, as God has given me the strength and His good grace to join millions of citizens in taking another step in the mission to rescue this country, it is my honor and pleasure today to announce to the people of Liberia the much-anticipated selection of my vice presidential choice for the 2023 presidential Election-RESCUE 2.

In our search, we interacted with a lot of qualified and committed Liberians and foreign partners, sought guidance and advice on how we can address the hemorrhaging leadership deficit in our country and we would like to thank everyone for their service, support and commitment to our country. We can assure everyone of a leadership of inclusion. There’s much to offer in the coming campaign and the future government when we earn the confidence of the people of Liberia.

In my search for a running mate, I sought to find someone who would join me as a partner and build a dedicated team of leaders to rescue our country. I wanted someone young and energetic who will commit to integrity and accountability in governance, commit to reconciling and healing our country and who by their early upbringing understands and connects with a youthful generation and nation still traumatized by war and denial but yet is an example to success. And more importantly someone who knows and experienced how it feels to live in a nation with no hope. Let me assure you that the person I did not look for is a SINLESS  ANGEL. However, that person must be one who understands the suffering of our people and is willing to rescue them.

Our search for a running mate as I said earlier, was not a search for a sinless angel but a real human being whose imperfection and belief in God compels him into seeking redemption and imbibes the humility and willingness to work with a team that will make our country better. One who understands that life is about people not self. One who knows that collective progress will create a vibrant society and enhance opportunities for all.

Our mission will seek to reform the Presidency and develop a new leadership team to effectively manage our country with integrity, honesty and respect for human dignity. Over the last six years, our country  entered  its lowest state; characterized by degradation of our value system, unprecedented economic hardship , devalued and demoralized civil servants and an upward trend in rewarding political patronage, a practice that has totally undercut the merit-based system.  Drug abuse, facilitated by the failure of this administration to stop its inflow. Stealing in government with impunity by officials has become an acceptable norm . Violations of our organic laws are no longer punishable. All of these are happening because the current government doesn’t listen and is not  responsive to the needs of the people. The horrible leadership that Mr. Weah  and his CDC have provided our country since  January 2018 is killing our people and robbing young people of a future of hope and promise.  My Fellow Partisans and Liberians, I have come to you with a message of Rescue and Renewal.

When I set out on this journey, I have always been persuaded by and influenced by my personal upbringing and the story of my life. A story which reflects the story of many Liberians but this story has been tempered by the deep and abiding faith of what is possible in our country. We have lived through and experienced different phases of Liberia and yet one variable remains so scourging: the hopelessness and neglect of the citizenry but especially our youths. Fellow Liberians, I say with a debt of gratitude that we could not have come this far without standing on the shoulders of some key members of the opposition in the drive for a better Liberia. In the more than 5 years of opposition collaboration since the 2017 elections, I have come to appreciate in particular the unwavering support, dedication, commitment, and loyalty of the many who have stood with us in the quest to fight for the Liberian people against bad governance and economic deprivation.

I particularly single out for their dedication to the cause, the standard bearer of the All Liberian Party Hon. Benoni Wilfred Urey, the political leader of the Liberty Party Sen. Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, and their partisans and supporters who stood with us through thick and thin to prove there is more that unite us than divide us in the fight for change. We will continue to stand together in this fight. Similarly, we thank political and social commentator Henry Pedro Costa for standing with us all these years and for the zest he brings to the conversation and debate about the purpose of public service, as well as his fierce convictions about course correction for Liberia. Sen. Abraham Darius Dillon has been a soldier in the opposition camp and has been flying the opposition banner high, and distance but reliable research social reformer, Martin N. Kollie.  We will continue to count on them for the success of this rescue mission. We take this time to also thank Sen. Jeremiah Koung the political leader of the MDR, for his support in 2017, as well as more recently. We would be remiss if we fail to mention Dr. Chris Nyan, Prof. Alaric Tokpa and the NDC, Hon. Reginald Goodridge of the Rainbow Alliance, and Dr. Jeremiah Whapoe of Vision Of Liberia Transformation, for collaborating with us amidst the challenges.

My dear Liberians, the person I have selected as running mate, like many of you, shares my vision about building this country better than it has ever been, and like many of us, have a humble beginning, working very hard through the years to pull themselves up by their own boot straps to provide for family and their community. My running mate is compassionate, has experienced poverty, and, therefore, understands the plight of millions of Liberians struggling to survive in the country.

It is, therefore, my pleasure to announce Senator Jeremiah Koung of Nimba county as my choice for running mate in this year’s Presidential and legislative elections.

The man I have chosen today is young, energetic, and relates to the younger generation.  At age 45, he connects with a generation whose denial and abuse have rendered them helpless and without hope but he did not allow the challenges of his youth to defy his ambition. With every challenge he sought to discover the immense possibilities that our country could offer. His early childhood was difficult but he endured selling fish at 12, gasoline and engaging in petty business but eventually rose to the heights of a leading Liberian Businessman in thriving Ganta, Nimba County.

 He contested and won as  Representative of Nimba’s District #1 twice and later became Senator of Nimba County. In a country and where President Weah and his Government are engaged in industrialized looting and where corruption has become the new normal. In a nation where public service is the center for exploitation and ill-gotten wealth, in a nation where we take everything from the state and give nothing in return, Senator Koung has a record of giving no taking.  Senator Koung gains from private business was invested in building a hospital valued 2.5 million United States dollars which was later turned over to the Government of Liberia without any liability. This is the only government owned hospital now in Ganta. I dedicated it and gave some medical supplies at the dedication in 2016.  His endurance and success in business will stimulate added interest and commitment to improve Liberia’s struggling indigenous business environment. Both Senator Koung and I will not only win these elections but intend to redirect the tragic course on which our country is now set.  Senator Koung joins me on a rescue mission for our country. Senator Koung and I have a lot in common. We both come from a struggling and working-class background. We both rose by our bootstraps and demonstrated how courage and vision can lead to success even where adversity was evident. The Man I have chosen, like me, has the resilience, commitment and love of country.

This vice-presidential choice is a true Liberian who is willing to stand with me in fixing our economy, repair this broken system, reconcile and unite our people and provide a better future for our children.  I, therefore, ask you all to join and work with us, close ranks and make the ticket a winning one for a better Liberia. Let us THINK LIBERIA, LOVE LIBERIA and BUILD LIBERIA.

Fellow Liberians, partisans of this great alliance, well-wishers and supporters, I now have the honor to present to you Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung as the next Vice President of Liberia.

God bless you, and may God save our country.

Thank you!