After pressure from Cess River residents, Pres Boakai appoints additional local government officials

CESTOS, River Cess – Facing increasing pressure from county citizens, President Joseph Boakai has appointed several new local government officials with influence on the Cess River.

On Saturday, June 1, Executive Mansion published a new list of government appointments, including 16 people appointed to local government positions in River Cess.

The appointees were: Dennis G. Seeboe, district administrative officer; James M. Peters, county financial officer; Estella Logan, County Development Officer; Mark Morton, mayor of Cestos City; Jerry Cole, Zarflah District Commissioner; Robert Morris, Fahn River District Commissioner, and Anthony V. Zwehgar, Nyonwlen District Commissioner.

Others include Sensee Roberts, statutory supervisor of Central C; Esther Juludoe, Jo-River District Commissioner; Paul Sayuah, Commissioner of the Morweh Charter District; Daniel Zeo, Sengbalor District Commissioner; Henry Sobeon, Yarnee District Charter Superintendent; Matalay Teah, Hardenvule County Commissioner; Janjan Zeodegar, Yarpah Municipal Commissioner; Nathaniel Grayoung, Commissioner of Little Liberia; and Jackson Jimlack, Charles Township commissioner.

The latest appointments come after growing concerns about delays in appointing remaining officials after former Rep. Byron Zahnwea was named the district’s new superintendent in February. In the second round of nominations, Nester Jones became inspector of the Morweh statutory district, William Yasay became commissioner of the Doedein statutory district and Matthew Wise became commissioner of the Central River Cess administrative district. However, the remaining officials went unappointed for months, leaving a gap in local leadership in the county.

Some county citizens expressed their dissatisfaction with the delay in the nomination, blaming the passivity of the county’s legislative club for the situation. Many feared that the delay would have a negative impact on the development of the district. Their frustration was deepened by the fact that the national chairman of the ruling Unity Party, Luther Tarpeh, is from the Cess River.

Augustus Trokon Freeman, a Liberian journalist originally from River Cess, hypothesized that the delay was due to misunderstandings between relevant political actors who were trying to advance their own political interests.

“Among the several municipal officials to be appointed in River Cess, only the district superintendent and a few district officials have been appointed,” Freeman announced in an open letter to the president.

“Mr. President, in the coming days we will recommend qualified citizens of River Cess to fill the remaining positions if the appropriate entities do not submit their names to your office for nomination.”

Another River Cess resident and critic of the Boakai-Koung administration, Matthew Fornatee Fanciah, also blamed club members for their lack of love for the county.

“This is a completely wrong approach and represents a syndicate of inherent evil for the county. This just shows that our leaders don’t love the county and only care about their own selfish gain. And the worst thing is that they undermine the president’s position. Their actions indicate that President Boakai is not in power,” Fanciah said.

Alfred Nyansuo, president-elect of River Cess Citizens Union, a community organization, expressed concern about the delays.

“Although a superintendent can be appointed to office without principal deputies, he or she may be strangled, especially in the area of ​​business transactions,” Nyansuo said. “One person cannot conduct financial transactions solely as part of the governance process and for reasons of transparency and accountability.”

Elijah Kassaynee, former River Cess deputy superintendent for fiscal affairs, also blamed club members for the delays: “I think it’s the county’s senior leadership that is still having a hard time coming up with a list of local leaders because the president is not in the county.”

“I am not a member of the UP, but in my opinion the president is not responsible. Those responsible are those who want to recommend their people because 2029 is coming,” Kassaynee said.

Bush’s Chicken contacted caucus members through verified WhatsApp accounts, but only received a response from 2nd District legislator Steve Tequaha.

“It was delayed, but it’s ready now. The list has been submitted and will be announced soon,” wrote MP Tequah before announcing the nominations.

Superintendent Byron Zahnwea was sworn in on Friday, May 31, prior to the announcements by other county local officials.

Featured image courtesy of Executive Mansion