Former Liberian warlord Prince Johnson has declared his support for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the forthcoming presidential election run-off poll.
The ex-militia man who executed former Liberian President, Samuel Doe says he is now a "Man of God" and is demanding a 30 per cent stake in Sirleaf's future government as conditions for his support.
He announced his decision to support Africa's first woman president on October 18 after Sirleaf won the first round of the election but failed to gain enough votes to secure an outright second term.
Johnson's running mate James Supuwood on Wednesday said he was in Monrovia, the capital, to negotiate with officials from Sirleaf's Unity Party (UP).
But critics say Johnson's party, which came third in the first round, is made up of opportunists hence its shock move to back Sirleaf.
The former war lord has not hidden his animosity towards the leader of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Winston Tubman, who faces Sirleaf in the run-off.
His hatred for Tubman seems to have started when the CDC leader's running-mate, George Weah, a former international footballer and a losing candidate in the 2005 presidential elections, refused to partner him in the October 11 polls.
Weah has accused the former warlord of playing a central role in the Liberian civil war (from 1989 to 2003), which left about a quarter of a million people dead.
A report released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) called for Johnson to be punished.
the lesser of the two evils
And Tubman's CDC has tickled Johnson's nerves by calling for an implementation of the TRC's recommendations.
"I do not want to go to the Hague, I prefer dealing with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who is also indicted by the TRC" said Johnshon on Tuesday.
"All of them have jumped into one camp and that camp does not reflect reconciliation.
"Many of those in the camp had been advocating for war," says Johnson who added that Sirleaf was "the lesser of the two evils".
Sirleaf who was herself exposed by the TRC report for supporting former warlord Charles Taylor - president from 1997 to 2003 – with recommendations that she must barred from holding public office welcomed Johnson's support.
The recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate simply said she was "ready to work with all Liberians," because "I must continue to work for peace and reconciliation."
Prince Johnson, who is celebrating his strong showing in the polls, is eyeing a graceful return.
"I am one of the most powerful forces in the country. They thought I was not relevant and now I'm kingmaker," he boasted.
Johnson made no qualms about cashing in on his newfound popularity when he revealed that he had demanded 30 per cent of the government from UP as a condition to form a coalition for the run-off.
The former war lord is mostly remembered for having allowed the filming of his men torturing Doe to death as he drank beer.
After 12 years of exile in Nigeria, he returned to Liberia in 2004, preaching peace and reconciliation and claiming he was a "born-again-Christian."
"Senator Johnson of yesterday in combat against Doe is not the Senator Johnson now.
"He's a born-again Christian. He's an evangelist. He's a man of God," Johnson claimed.
