By Uriah Suah, Nimba Fellow
NIMBA COUNTY, Liberia — In a small radio studio in Nimba County, B. Mack Gblinwon speaks with quiet confidence about his candidacy for the upcoming senatorial by-election.
The former county inspector presents himself as a unifying force in a region with complicated political and tribal dynamics.
"I want to see a united Nimba, a Nimba that our people deserve," said Magbulei-Wong, who is one of seven candidates vying to fill the seat left vacant by the death of controversial former warlord Prince Johnson.
Gblinwon's campaign pitch centers on unity in a county historically divided along tribal lines.
"I have been a champion of peace in Nimba County," he said in a recent interview with a local radio station. "All I see is one Nimba County. All I see is people will come and go."
The candidate emphasized his cross-tribal background and alliances as evidence of his ability to bridge divides.
"My flowers have been backed by Musa Hassan Bility, who is a Mano man, and my mother is also a Mano. And in the past, I campaigned for Niagara Falls as a campaign manager. And he's a Mano man; I'm a Gio man."
When asked about the legacy of his predecessor, Gblinwon was careful to acknowledge Johnson's controversial status.
"The legacy of Senator Johnson is his legacy, and I'm also thinking of what I can do to be my legacy," he said that while he shares Johnson's decisiveness, he differs in temperament.
The candidate identified three critical challenges facing Nimba County: governance, economic development, and disunity.
His platform includes leveraging government machinery for infrastructure development, providing microloans to small businesses, and implementing agricultural programs that could create jobs.
If elected, Gblinwon promises balanced representation by appointing staff from each of Nimba's six main tribal groups.
"Two will come from each tribe," he said, explaining how he would structure his office to reflect the county's diversity.
As a senior student of management and economics at Nimba University, Gblinwon portrays himself as deeply rooted in the county.
"I am a son of Nimba; my mother is from Nimba, my father is from Nimba, and I live my life in Nimba," he said.
The special by-election, scheduled to take place in two weeks, offers voters their first opportunity to choose a senator following the decades-long influence of Prince Johnson, who remained a powerful and polarizing figure in Nimba politics until his death.
As voters prepare to make their choice, Gblinwon's message is simple: "Nimba is trust, and Nimba is life. They will work together for the better good of our people."
