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The Nimba 2025 by-election will take place on April 22, 2025, across all nine districts. Currently, there are seven candidates, with a lone woman who is contesting for the seat for the third time.
Campaigning began on March 31-April 19, 2025. Now, many are assessing the chances of political parties and candidates. There are four parties and three independent candidates.
The election is expected to see 262 precincts active and 307,254 registered voters.
What is an opinion poll?
Opinion polls collect information from a given group—a sample—to get an idea of public sentiment.
Seven candidates are seeking to succeed former Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson, who died in 2024. However, several opinion surveys have identified four candidates as the hottest contenders:
- Samuel Kogar– age 56, of the MDR, a party of the late Johnson, is in collaboration with the ruling Unity Party; he is a current representative of District 5, Nimba County.
2. Edith Gongloe Weh-—Former Nimba County superintendent. Edith Gongloe-Weh—is contesting for the fourth time, having contested in 2011, 2014, and 2020
3. Garrison Doldeh Yealue served as representative of Nimba County Electoral District #4 in the 53rd Legislature but lost to current Representative Gonpu Kargon in a fiercely contested race in 2017.
4. Mack Gblinwon– age 49, a former County Inspector of Nimba, is new; this is his first time contesting an election. Gblinwon was endorsed by the newly formed political movement of Rep. Musa Bility, the Citizens Movement for Change, to contest on the party ticket.
The Opinion Poll Debate in Nimba
Several opinion polls have been held, from Nimba D-9 TV, OK FM, to Spoon network, which was released in just two weeks, each on the senatorial race.
One, conducted by Truth FM, found that 41% preferred Kogar as their candidate, against 36% for Edith and 14% for Mack, while Yealue was 4%.
The reality on the ground
In the very divided Senate by-election, the major topics that have dominated the campaigns loudly and in whispers are perhaps not qualities, capacity, or track records of a candidate, but ethnic tendencies.
The campaign coloration has highlighted a tribal political conflict between the Gio and the Mano – two populous tribes in the area.
Many people believe that the two largest ethnic groups, the Dan and the Mano, should share two senate seats.
In this election, the argument is that because Nyan Twayen current senator, is from the Mano tribe, the disputed seat should go to a member of the Gio or Dan tribe. But that can only be done through elections.
From 2011 to 2020, both Senator Johnson and Thomas Grupee were from the Dan ethnic group
In the most recent by-election, the longstanding practice of distributing seats between the two main ethnic groups was fulfilled when Nambians overwhelmingly elected Nyan Tuayen to replace Koung.
Six of the county’s nine legislators, including Senator Nya Twayen Jr., support Representative Kogar for the Senate position. However, two legislators are backing other candidates.
Representative Musa Hassan Bility is supporting his candidate, Gbliwon, who represents the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), while District #9 Representative Taa Wongbe supports Gongloe-Weh.
