Former Liberian President, George Manneh Weah, on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 returned to the country following a one-month-five-day family vacation. He touched down via the Roberts International Airport (RIA) early Tuesday afternoon, but was entangled with the discomfort of using the old VIP lounge, as the recently dedicated one was closed through out the day.
According to report, Weah and his entourage were informed ahead of their arrival at RIA, but the informant only disclosed that the order came from “above”.
The new VIP lounge at the RIA was constructed by ex-President Weah, and was dedicated in December 2023 after Weah had lost the November 14, 2023 presidential run-off election to Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai. However, barely six weeks since he turned over to the new administration, Weah is being challenged to face the consequences of what appears to be a “political witch-hunt” or the effect of someone trying to “prove a point to the boss”.
When the scenario was publicized, the Presidential Press Secretary, Kula Fofana, immediately took to her Facebook page and claimed that President Weah was never denied access to the VIP lounge; instead, he was welcomed with open arms.
Surprisingly, when contacted by OK FM, Fofana claimed that the VIP Lounge is exclusively for the sitting President, and no other person will use it.
Fofana’s contradicting statements have sparked concerns, with critics underlining both statements in red. First, they say, the Press Secretary’s assertion that the former President was not denied access to the new VIP Lounge is false, misleading and intended to cover up for the messy situation at the airport; second, they argued, her assertion that the VIP Lounge is exclusively for the sitting President is dumbfounded and exposes her inexperience for the capacity in which she serves.
A critic, Abdullah Kiatamba, argued that if the Boakai administration is not careful it will certainly face a storm of public relations crisis after the first 100 days, warning that defensive PR is bad. Kiatamba noted that even though Kula Fofana is doing an amazing job, it gets overwhelming to handle storms from multiple fronts, observing that the government’s PR is losing vitality.
But without any compunction for her statements, Fofana later took to her Facebook page again. This time she said, “We have a government to run. We will not be in the business of responding to baseless propaganda! Liberia has one President, and JNB is the Man! We will not be distracted!”
Observers are of the belief that the Boakai administration is picking bone with the wrong person, as Weah still wields the support of almost half of the country’s population and has the tendency to impact the stability of the regime.
According to a political observer, ex-President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, throughout her administration kept Weah under her influence to hinder the opposition bloc from destabilizing her years in power. The individual claimed that Sirleaf regularly placed phone calls to Weah and vice versa, giving him hope of a new dawn after her tenure.
They say in the case where Weah agrees to lead a protest in Liberia, it will be the downfall of the Boakai administration, and this is why it is incumbent on President Boakai to use wisdom in protecting and guidingthe peace and democracy of the nation by any means possible.
Interestingly, ex-President Weah has announced that hehas returned to lead his political party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and to speak to the ills in society.
Weah returned home with his wife, Clar M. Weah; son,Champ Weah; former Commissioner of Maritime, Lenn Eugene Nagbe; former Chief of Protocol at the Executive Mansion, Ambassador Nora Finda Bundoo; and former Special Presidential Aide, Sekou Kalasco Damaro. They were received by a sizable, cheerful number of Liberians.
Speaking briefly to the press, President Weah said he was glad to be back home after a successful family vacation, noting that he has come ready to speak about the ills in the Liberian society. According to him, he is back to do his party’s work, mainly to put his political institution to where it is supposed to be.
The former Liberian leader, who did not specifically mention some of the ills, said he will speak to the electorate in the coming days.
President Boakai already stands accused of Constitutional breaches, with some members of the House of Representatives threatening to initiate an impeachment proceeding against him because of his dismissal of tenure position holders. Furthermore, students of the University of Liberia have started to demonstrate for the perpetual closure of the university, and now ex-President Weah is about to hold the administration’s feet to the fire. All these only point to a politically heated atmosphere, with statements, reactions, counter-reactions as well as responses.