KAKATA, Margibi – Scores of young people, mostly high school students, have pledged their unflinching support to Foday Faisu, a candidate for representative of Margibi’s third electoral district.

Faisu, the youngest representative candidate in the ensuing 2017 elections, appears to have won the political admiration of the youth who are happy to see themselves represented in a field usually dominated by older contestants.

Ironically, the 25-year-old Faisu is contesting on the ticket of Liberia’s oldest political party, the True Whig Party. On the day of the election, he will be exactly 25 years, 9 months, 10 days.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Bush Chicken, Faisu, who graduated a year ago from the Booker Washington Institute, said his quest for the legislature is to set the pace for other young people to follow.

“They have decided to vote [for] someone like them; that’s why I was chosen,” he noted.

Faisu said he does not have as much funds to finance his campaign as do other candidates in the race but said the support from his peers gives him the motivation to compete at a high level.

Foday Faisu is the youngest representative candidate on the ballot. Photo: Emmanuel Degleh

“We are richer than some of the candidates because friends are contributing to this process from their pockets,” he added. “We don’t have mobility but my supporters have committed to moving from towns to towns and from village to village.”

Faisu outlined education, health care, and providing rehab for underprivileged youth as a key on his legislative platform.

He came to the limelight after captaining BWI’s academic quizzing team in a tournament organized by the Liberia Media for Democratic Initiative. There, he was recognized as the Most Valuable Player.

Anthony Garteh, 22 years old and a first-time voter, said Faisu’s candidacy should serve as a motivation for any young man.

“He’s the direct face of the young people and at the same a role model,” he said. “That’s why we are putting our one and two cents together to support him.”

Another first-time voter, 20-year-old Emmauel Kabba, said Faisu’s academic mentorship of him is part of the reason why he is supporting the candidate.

“He taught me mathematics and my admiration about him is he’s a guy who loves education and the young people,” Kabba added.

Featured photo by Emmanuel Degleh