Liberia: Defeated Senators Reportedly Lobbying for Appointed Positions in Government

MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has been reliably informed that President George Weah is contemplating naming several defeated Senators in the December 8 Special Senatorial Election to positions at various government ministries and agencies.

Despite serving nine years in the Liberian Senate and other cabinet positions, these candidates who performed dismally in elections, are now taking advantage of their attachment to the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and lobbying intensely within the executive for possible appointments at various ministries and agencies of government.

Sources familiar with the ongoing discussions said a few of the defeated Senators and candidates would pretty soon be surfacing at the Ministry of Public Works, Internal Audit Agency, the Ministry of Education and local governments in the counties.

Names of those defeated Senators and candidates likely to be appointed include Henry Yallah, Gbenzhongar Findley, George Tengbeh, and Dallas Gueh, amongst others.

According to our source, Mr. Findley is likely to be appointed as the new Minister of Public Works.  

Findley who contested on the ticket of the CDC in Grand Bassa County against incumbent Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence obtained 20,346 votes constitution 38.03% against his opponent who obtained 42.1%.

Prior to him contesting, he served the George Weah administration as Foreign Minister from 2018 to 2020. He is also a former Pro-Temp of the Liberian Senate under the leadership of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Another name that is likely to surface during the President’s next round of appointments is Henry Yallah of Bong County. Yallah, a former chairman of the Public Account Committee of the Senate, wants to become the next head of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA). He wants to replace Emmanuel Nyeswah who died last October under mysterious circumstance.

Yallah has been committed to the cause of the CDC since 2018. He was the secretary of the specialized committee set up by the Senate Pro-Tempore Albert Chie during the impeachment of Justice Kabina Ja’neh of the Liberian Supreme Court.

Henry Yaallah, was defeated by Prince Moye –  a sitting Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative. Yallah was the ruling party’s candidate in Bong County. He obtained 25,247 votes which constituted 32.91% against Moye who obtained 39,337 constituting 51.28%.

Like defeated Senator Yallah, defeated Senator George Tengebeh of Lofa County is also lobbying for job in the Executive branch of government but for him he is not asking for much. For him, making him Lofa County next superintendent is enough to accommodate him for his loss and his loyalty to the CDC against the Unity Party that made him Senator.

Before becoming Senator, Tengbeh worked as the Administrative Assistant to then Superintendent Galakpai Kortimai. Another name that is asking for the President’s pardon to land him a job is Dallas Gueh of River Cess County. As the former chairman of the Senate Education Committee, he wants to become Liberian next Minister of Education but there is uncertainty over whether President Weah will let go Professor D. Ansu Sonii for Gueh.

He is amongst defeated Senator who dismally performed in the 2020 special Mid-Term Senatorial Elections. He fell way below the belt in terms of votes and percentage accumulation.

Prior to today’s publication, it was reported that President Weah is was considering reconstituting his new cabinet in the first half of the CDC-led government.

According to   sources, the results of the just-ended elections across the counties including the losing of Montserrado County, the base of the CDC to opposition candidate Sen. Abraham Darius Dillion informed the President’s ‘decision’ to reconstruct his government so as to regain the confidence of the people ahead of 2023 general and presidential elections.

In the expected reshuffle, it is reported that the likes of Dr. James F. Kollie, George Werner, Gyude Moore – all of whom served key cabinet positions in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s administration are likely to surface.