Liberia: Senator Findley’s Praise for Dagoseh Puts Pro Tempore Lawrence’s Political Future Under the Spotlight

MONROVIA – Nobody in Grand Bassa politics is calling it a campaign yet. The next general election is still years away, and no one with a stake in the outcome has made a formal announcement. Yet on Monday, October 5, a single radio interview made it hard to pretend that the maneuvering had not started.

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By Obediah Johnson

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Senator Gbehnzohngar Findley, a guest on OK FM 99.5’s Morning Rush Show, talked at length about the county’s political future. The woman he spoke about most warmly was not his Senate colleague, Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, but former Commerce Minister Magdalene Dagoseh.

The Minister Who Wants a Senate Seat

Madam Dagoseh’s story is where the tension begins. She lost her post at the Ministry of Commerce when President Joseph Nyuma Boakai dismissed her, after she expressed a desire to contest the senatorial seat in Grand Bassa.

Critics of Pro Tempore Lawrence accuse her of having masterminded the dismissal. That claim is an allegation, not an established fact, and the account here does not include any response from the Pro Tempore. But it has traveled widely enough to shape how many Bassa residents see the two women, one as a political casualty and the other as a powerful figure suspected of protecting her turf.

A Senator Who Shows Up

While that allegation circulates, Findley has been seen with Madam Dagoseh repeatedly. He has appeared alongside her at groundbreakings and at activities and programs she has organized across the county.

In a place where roads, schools and clinics are the language of political loyalty, these appearances speak loudly. The result, by the account of observers, is intense rivalry between supporters of the two senators, each camp reading the other’s moves as a warning.

Admiration, Plainly Stated

On the radio, Findley did not hide his regard. His relationship with Dagoseh, he said, differs from the one he has with the Pro Tempore. They go back a long way, have worked together on one or two things, and she has been a strong advocate. “I admire Magdalene,” he said.

Asked about the bigger picture, he promised that his political support would be made very clear before the end of the year. He said he is working toward that, but also noted that since he knows everyone who is running, he needs a clearer direction before choosing.

The Silence from the Pro Tempore

Perhaps the most pointed part of the interview concerned what Findley has not heard. Lawrence, he said, has not told him whether she will contest the Senate again in 2029. He does not know if she has announced it publicly, and privately he knows nothing either.

He, meanwhile, has been talking to others. He said he has held private conversations with Madam Dagoseh, Senator Jonathan Kaipay and Gabriel Montgomery, all of whom, according to him, have expressed interest in the seat, privately and publicly.

The contrast was clear. Potential challengers are knocking on Findley’s door. The incumbent Pro Tempore, in his telling, is not.

A Ledger of Grievances

Findley’s remarks about Lawrence were not purely about the future. He recalled that she backed former Senator Kaipay over him in the 2017 elections. Even so, he said, if she thinks she needs his support to win re-election, she should approach him.

He added that neither Lawrence nor any senior member of her Liberty Party has backed him politically, in Grand Bassa or nationally. And the party, he said, did not invite him to its most recent political gathering in the county.

None of this was delivered as an attack. It was delivered as a record, and in politics a record of slights is often the first draft of a negotiating position.

The Conditions for His Backing

Findley was equally clear about what he will look for in a candidate. He promised guidelines for his support of those seeking elected office in Grand

Bassa and elsewhere in Liberia. Anyone who stays loyal to the agenda of his political movement, which aims to improve citizens’ lives and develop the county, can expect his backing.

His priorities were concrete: young people in Bassa who are educated, trained and ready for jobs, and a leader willing to fight to bring companies and investment to the county. Whoever wants his endorsement will have to speak that language convincingly.

The Independent Who Must Choose a Home

Findley’s own path is part of the puzzle. He quit the ruling Unity Party and supported the Coalition for Democratic Change of then-President George Weah in the 2017 elections. In 2023, he won his Senate seat as an independent.

He is now unsure where he belongs. He has not decided between rejoining the Unity Party and joining the opposition, and he has not ruled out starting a party of his own. He credits his supporters, not himself, for his Senate seat, and says he must consult them. A convention later this year will settle his next move.

That means a double announcement is coming before the year ends: his chosen candidate and his own political direction. Both will be watched closely in Monrovia as well as Bassa.

Capitol Hill, October 15

The first public test is near. Senators return to Capitol Hill on October 15, and some predict a display of political supremacy and administrative control inside the chamber. Whoever shows strength there may find it

easier to win over Grand Bassa citizens, whether for Lawrence’s re-election or for the candidate Findley eventually supports.

The Senate floor is not a campaign rally, but in an off-year it can serve as one. Committee positions, procedural fights and public statements all send signals back home.

The Cost to Ordinary Bassa Residents

Behind the political theater is a practical fear. People worry that a standoff between the two senators could cost Grand Bassa its fair share of development and other benefits. County projects often depend on cooperation between legislators. When that cooperation breaks down, communities pay the price in delayed roads, stalled investments and missed opportunities.

For voters, the lesson of this early skirmish may be to look past the praise and the grievances and ask what each leader is delivering.

Lawrence has not publicly addressed her plans. Dagoseh, Kaipay and Montgomery are said to be weighing theirs. Findley has promised clarity by December. The Senate meets in ten days.

For now, the rivalry remains one of hints rather than declarations. But in Grand Bassa, hints have a way of becoming candidacies.