With a few days to the April 22 Nimba Senatorial By-elections, drama, controversy, and political campaigning have taken on a darker tone.
Behind campaign posters and catchy jingles lurks a legal and political storm that threatens to cast a long shadow over one of Liberia’s most closely watched races. The National Elections Commission (NEC), tasked with safeguarding the country’s fragile democratic process, has taken centre stage, and its decisions are stirring fierce debate.
NEC has disqualified independent candidate Justin Oldpa Yeazehn, popularly known as Prophet Key, for submitting a fraudulent voter registration card. The controversial social commentator and preacher has long been a lightning rod in national discourse, and his disqualification has not gone quietly.
“The NEC is not only embarrassing the Nimba elections but disgracing the country,” Yeazehn said at a press conference in Monrovia. He alleged that the Commission denied him the legally mandated 48-hour window to appeal its decision — a claim that NEC has yet to respond to publicly.
Yeazehn, who has taken social media and radio to urge supporters not to vote, insists that his removal from the ballot nullifies the legitimacy of the election itself.
“I am the only man with the vision to make Nimba — and Liberia — better,” he said, branding the NEC’s ruling as criminal. “I swear to them, you’re going to bury a big person in this country.”
At the center of this controversy is NEC’s mandate to enforce the 2025 Nimba by-election regulations. According to Section II, Article 4, only Liberians registered in Nimba County with valid voter cards issued by NEC may participate as voters or candidates.
Yeazehn’s expulsion appears to mark a moment of resolve by the electoral body regarding the principle that no candidate is above the law. However, the move has ignited tensions in a region still haunted by spectres of political violence and unresolved grievances.
Complicating matters, the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), which the late Senator Prince Johnson founded, filed separate complaints seeking to disqualify two additional candidates: Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh and Tee Wonokay Farngalo.
MDR claimed that Gongloe-Weh illegally registered through a proxy, her sister, while Farngalo allegedly registered and ran in Montserrado County’s District #3 during the 2023 elections. The NEC scheduled a hearing on the matter for Thursday, April 3.
Observers initially viewed NEC’s swift action on Yeazehn’s disqualification as a bold move toward restoring electoral integrity in a country often marred by allegations of rigging and voter intimidation.
“The NEC is finally showing its teeth,” one local analyst remarked. “But the question is whether it will follow through, especially under pressure from political heavyweights.”
Unexpectedly, the MDR withdrew its complaints against Gongloe-Weh and Farngalo. The party cited “multiple calls and pleadings from prominent elders and traditional leaders of Nimba County” as the reason for its reversal.
That decision — to some extent, a concession to cultural diplomacy — has only deepened public scepticism.
“If MDR loses that Senate seat, don’t blame anyone but yourselves — not the elders,” said Daniel T. Sellu in a Facebook post directed at fellow party member Kelvin D.J. Mattaldi. Another voter, Prince Wiah, argued, “Once the case involves fraud, it is no longer an MDR issue. It’s a matter of national interest.”
The unfolding drama in Nimba County has exposed uncomfortable truths about Liberia’s electoral culture, where tradition, personal loyalty, and the rule of law often clash in messy public forums.
What started as a by-election evolved into a high-stakes test for Liberia’s democracy, where the NEC’s credibility and constitutional powers enshrined in Article 84, which governs election violations, hang in the balance.
With the campaign season heating up and allegations of misconduct swirling, voters are left wondering: Can the NEC rise above politics to uphold its mandate? Or will the country slide back into a familiar rhythm where legal standards are bent under the weight of political survival?
For now, the answers remain as murky.
