Dr. Clarence Moniba, the youngest presidential candidate among the 20 contestants who vied for the Liberian presidency, has conceded defeat while vowing to return stronger in his pursuit of the presidency.
Moniba, who contested as the presidential candidate of the Liberia National Union, made this announcement in a heartfelt Facebook post yesterday.
His decision comes after his party had earlier accused the National Elections Commission of underreporting his votes, but in the Facebook post, he chose to embrace the reality of the results and maintain a positive outlook as he emphasized that this defeat would not deter him from pursuing his presidential ambition.
“We fell… but we fell FORWARD,” Moniba wrote in his post. “We are a thousand steps closer to our ultimate goal: A New Liberia is a must. We will come back stronger, we will work harder, and LIBERIA will be better.”
“Thank you to my true family, friends, and supporters who sacrificed so much to get us to where we are. The journey did not end… it was only the beginning. We move… FORWARD,” he added.
As of October 18, Moniba had gathered a total of 5,297 votes, constituting a 0.29% share of the vote out of the total votes counted of 1.9 million. Despite conceding defeat, Moniba did not disclose whether he would support President Weah or his rival, Joseph Boakai, in the upcoming runoff elections. His decision in this regard remains a subject of speculation.
Clarence Moniba, who was expected to put out a strong showing, has, during his campaign for the presidency, cast himself as the ‘only candidate unafraid to radically tackle Liberia’s numerous problems.’
During the campaign for the Presidency, was noted for repeatedly warnings Liberians that they cannot be crying for change by repeatedly turning to the same two political parties, the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change and the former ruling Unity Party, which have been the two major political parties since 2005 and have produced the same results and kept the nation from realizing its full potential.
“It is simply not a recipe to make progress in this country,” Moniba once said. “How can we continue to say we want change, yet, when given the opportunity to get real, capable change, we reject it for the same two political parties that have led this country for almost 20 years?”
“In 2005, it was the CDC and UP in the 2nd round; in 2011, the CDC and UP were in the 2nd round; in 2017, the CDC and UP were in the 2nd round. How can we say we want change, when we continue to go to the same two groups for that change?” he questioned.
The son of a former Vice President, Moniba has promised to diversify the economy and create jobs by building “food production zones” in each of the 15 subdivisions. The most ambitious plans include replacing the current salary structure with an hourly productivity-based minimum rate and the creation of a mortgage scheme to spur infrastructure development and home ownership.
Moniba, who has never held elected political office, worked as a former cabinet Minister in the administration of former President Sirleaf and oversaw the beginning of the Somali Drive and the completion of the Mt. Coffee Hydro projects.
He helped secure the funding for the latter, which is US$250 million, as well as other projects. His vice running mate was former Montserrado County Superintendent, Grace Kpaan. As a seasoned administrator with a wealth of experience in local governance, Kpaan, in 2013, famously exposed a sitting Representative who tried to get her to participate in stealing the county development fund in the “You eat, I eat” scandal.
Meanwhile, Moniba’s quest to recontest the Presidency would be in 2029 — that is when the next presidential election is due.
