MONROVIA – Documents in the possession of FrontPageAfrica have revealed that Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe was never denied visa to travel along with President George Manneh Weah to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 77th Session as being claimed by popular Liberian Talk Show Host Henry Costa.
Senator Snowe, who is a member of the Liberian delegation to the parliament, is also the Chair of the ECOWAS Parliamentary Committees on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism.
He was appointed to the post in March 2020 by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis of Sierra Leone.
President Weah and scores of other government officials departed the country Friday, September 16, for the United UNGA session. The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the world body.
An invitation was extended to Senator Snowe to form part of the Liberian delegation to the meeting, but Senator Snowe did not make the trip to the US over the weekend.
However, Costa took to his official Facebook page early Monday to report that Senator Snowe did not form part of the Liberian delegation to the event because he was denied US visa.
“Edwin Snowe was denied a visa to accompany Weah to the UN General Assembly. The man who is supposed to be Weah’s 2023 campaigner is targeted for US sanctions soon”, Costa claimed on social media on Monday, September 19.
Despite the claim made by Costa, FrontPage managed to obtain separate communications which nullified the accusation raised by Costa.
In a communication dated September 15 and addressed to Foreign Affairs Minister Dee Maxwell Kemayah, Senator Snowe requested to be omitted from the President’s delegation to the UNGA though his passport was collected by state protocol to carry on the necessary processing to facilitate his attendance at the session.
“Taking into consideration my current engagement at the ECOWAS Parliament, I have been nominated by the Honorable Speaker to form part of the Budget Formulation Committee for our 2023 programs which include but are not limited to three very important presidential elections in our region.”
He continued: “In view of the foregoing, I will not be available to travel with His Excellency and therefore request that you kindly return my Diplomatic Passport currently in your possession to enable me to undertake my commitment to the ECOWAS Parliament.”
Senator Snowe’s action stemmed from his appointment to the Ad-Hoc Committee on the preparation of the ECOWAS parliament’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023 Fiscal Year.
In a letter dated August 29, and addressed to Senator Snowe under the signature of the John Azumah, Secretary General of the ECOWAS Parliament, the Bomi County lawmaker was invited to attend a meeting of the Ad-Hoc Ad-Hoc Committee on the preparation of the ECOWAS parliament’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023 Fiscal Year in Lome, Togo.
The meeting runs from September 21-25.
“As a member of the Ad-Hoc Committee, your participation in the deliberations of the meeting is highly required,” the communication noted.
Senator Snowe also took to his social media page to sharply react to Costa.
“Mr. Henry Costa stop your usual lies. Go and check your facts. I was invited by the President to travel with him to the UNGA but declined due to a conflict of schedule I have with the ECOWAS Parliament. Ask the Foreign Ministry to give you the facts.”
Senator Snowe’s action to not form a part of President Weah’s delegation to the UNGA was not based upon his denial of a visa but based upon his commitment to ably represent Liberia at the level of the ECOWAS parliament.