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Claim: “Mr Boakai stole the election and now sits as Head of State,” Foday N. Massaquoi, Chairperson of the CDC Council of Patriots, alleged.
Verdict: False: The claimant could not provide evidence supporting his allegation. Multiple independent reports have confirmed that the elections were free and fair. Incumbent President George Weah conceded defeat before the National Elections Commission (NEC) officially announced the results.
Full Text
Foday Massaquoi, Chairperson of the Council of Patriots, an auxiliary group of former President Weah’s political party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), alleged on Saturday, Feb 16, 2025, that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai stole the elections that brought him to power.
Massaquoi made this claim in a Facebook post, stating, “Thank God Mr Boakai stole the election and now sits as Head of State.” His remarks were directed at gender advocate Vickjune Wutoh, who is now a member of Boakai’s administration. Wutoh travelled with President Boakai to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for African Union Summit.
Furthermore, Massaquoi alleged that if Boakai had not stolen the election, future generations would have been deceived into hating Jesus and glorifying Lucifer. He added, “It is ironic how those who condemned wrongdoing in the past are now blind to the atrocities of the present.” Massaquoi, who previously worked for the Monrovia City Government, is no longer in public office.
Given Liberia’s fragile political climate and the importance of truthful reporting, DUBAWA undertook an independent fact-check of Massaquoi’s claims.
Verification
By definition, stealing is the unlawful taking of something that does not belong to one. To determine the validity of Massaquoi’s claim, we reviewed multiple sources, including official election results and independent election monitoring reports.
According to the National Elections Commission (NEC), President Boakai won the election with 814,481 votes out of 1,625,684 total votes. Former President George Weah’s opponent received 793,914 votes, translating to 50.64% for Boakai and 49.36% for Weah. Premium Times Nigeria quoted NEC results on Monday evening, confirming Boakai’s victory without allegations of electoral fraud.
Additionally, Liberia’s largest independent election observation mission, supported by USAID, described the electoral process as peaceful and democratic in its final report, the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) stated.
“The peaceful conduct of the elections and the graceful concession by President George Weah have further deepened the country’s democratic process and institutions.”
Notably, former President George Weah conceded defeat even before NEC announced the final results. In an address to the nation, CNN reported Weah as follows:
“The results announced tonight, though not final, indicate that Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai is in a lead that we cannot surpass. Therefore, a few minutes ago, I spoke to President-elect Joseph N. Boakai to congratulate him on his victory.”
Conclusion
Based on verifiable election results, independent election observer reports, and former President George Weah’s early concession speech, there is no credible evidence to support the claim that President Boakai stole the election.
Massaquoi’s statement lacks a factual basis.
