Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County – In a striking endorsement that blends praise with political punchlines, Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennue of Grand Gedeh County has hailed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai as the true “Bad Road Doctor,” crediting him for opening up one of Liberia’s most inaccessible regions during the peak of the Rainy Season.
Speaking to constituents this week, the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Senator said that for the first time in years, Grand Gedeh County and other Southeastern regions are accessible in September—a month historically known for making nearly all the southeastern counties’ roads impassable due to heavy rains.
“When I was coming here on Monday, I stood on the road—in September—wearing leather shoes and a white shirt,” Pennue said, referencing a viral social media photo. “So I said, the name I give the President now is ‘Bad Road Doctor.’ Because it’s the doctor who prescribes the medicine—and he brought a good Minister of Public Works. That Minister is the medicine, and he applied it on our road!”
A Breakthrough in Road Access
Historically, counties like Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Maryland, Sinoe, and Rivercess become logistical nightmares from August through October, with rains rendering most roads unmotorable. Transporting basic goods to the Southeast often results in prices skyrocketing nearly 10 times their normal cost due to the difficulty of access.
This year, however, Senator Pennue says things are different—and he attributes that shift directly to the Boakai administration’s infrastructure focus.
“In September, people are coming and going to Monrovia? Goods prices remain the same? That’s all we want!” he exclaimed.
A Jab at the CDC and Former President Weah
While celebrating Boakai’s performance, Pennue didn’t hold back criticism of his own party’s standard bearer, former President George Weah. The former president famously adopted the nickname “Bad Road Medicine” during his presidency—a moniker meant to highlight his road-building legacy. But Senator Pennue rejected that title as superficial.
“Not because somebody somewhere [is] using his belly to recuperate on the Liberian people,” Pennue said, in an apparent swipe at Weah’s campaign to return to power. “That’s why we should bring you to power? No!”
He emphasized that unlike former President Weah, President Boakai is not looking for fame or fortune.
“Boakai, in his 80s, just wants a legacy. If in Rainy Season the road is good like this, will it be bad in Dry Season?”
A Narrow Focus: Roads and Drugs
Senator Pennue made clear what matters to him most: infrastructure development and the fight against narcotics—two issues he says the current president is handling with urgency and integrity.
“The President is doing the road, and he’s fighting drugs. Those two things are all I want.
“The main thing that we want, from Tappita, since coal tile has reached Tappita, from Tappita to Zwedru, we need, ourselves, we deserve better road. Our road must be pliable.”
A Moment of Bipartisanship—or a Deeper Rift?
The endorsement is notable not just for its praise of Boakai, but for the rift it appears to expose within the CDC, which remains the main opposition bloc following Weah’s defeat in 2023. Pennue’s comments add to growing speculation about internal divisions and shifting alliances ahead of Liberia’s next presidential electoral cycle in 2029.
Whether his words mark a broader realignment or a personal conviction, one thing is clear: for residents of Grand Gedeh, who have long suffered under the weight of impassable roads and inflated prices, this Rainy Season feels different—and they now have someone new to thank.
