Senator Johnson, who is serving his third term (27 years), vowed to ensure Twayen is not elected senator following his fallout with the ruling party over the party’s persistent push for a War and Economic Crimes Court.

Senator Johnson, a Gio native, opted to support Rep. Kogar, one of two Gio candidates in the race, in an election that reignited the long-standing tribal rivalry between the Mano and the Gio, the two populous tribes in the county.

The plethora of upsets recorded particularly in the Gio regions where Senator Johnson has influenced previous elections results through his support for candidates, appeared to have shown a new inclination.

Tongues have continued to wag over how Senator Johnson and his candidate Kogar performed poorly, allowing Twayen to put up a strong fight to win over 20, 000 votes in the Gio region, the first Mano candidate to achieve such feat.

A source told FrontPageAfrica that while Senator Johnson relied on his past influence to ensure Kogar wins the Gio region, Twayen, who has run his charitable foundation for the past 17 months through which he had empowered over 4,000 persons in the Gio regions in tailoring, hairdressing, and catering among others, put his hope on his good works and power of the voters.

Senator Johnson “succumbs”

Ahead of the official result by the National Elections Commission Friday, Senator Johnson took to social media on Thursday to congratulate Twayen on his soon-to-be announced victory and thanked Nimbians (natives of the county) for putting their avowed solidarity and support for Twayen into action by coming out en-masse to give their votes to him, irrespective of ethnicity and even political affiliations.

Senator Johnson said from the preliminary results, it was clear that Twayen’s message of hope, unity, bringing the dividends of democracy to the county was positively received by residents of the county who are eager to embrace a new era.

“Welcome aboard, my son. The task ahead is significant. Nimba has elected you to join me as the operational Senator. Given your respectful and organized nature, I believe that together, we can enhance Nimba’s progress. I urge everyone to refrain from spreading tribal messages as they have the propensity to derail our progress as a county by diverting our focus. Let’s prioritize peace, love, and unity in Nimba and throughout Liberia. I pledge my full support in working with our new Senator. Together, success is assured. Congratulations Senator & thank you, Nimba,” Senator Johnson said in his post.