–Ex-NOCAL Executive Rejects Former Finance Minister’s Zwedru Claims, Disputes CDC’s Infrastructure Record, and Questions Former President’s Appetite for Political Comeback
MONROVIA – A former senior official of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has launched a blistering attack on former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., dismissing his recent call for the party’s return to power in 2029 and accusing the former ruling establishment of attempting to rewrite Liberia’s recent political history.
Dr. Lester Zomatic Tenny, a former stalwart of the CDC who served as Vice President for Technical Services at the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) during the administration of former President George Manneh Weah, issued the strongly worded rebuttal following remarks Tweah delivered during the CDC’s 22nd anniversary celebration in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.
During the celebration, Tweah argued that the CDC would reclaim state power in 2029, contending that widespread economic hardship and public dissatisfaction under the Unity Party administration would pave the way for the party’s return.
But in a lengthy statement published on his official Facebook page, Tenny rejected that narrative, arguing that Liberians would judge the CDC based on its record in government rather than campaign rhetoric.
‘What Has Changed About Weah?’
Tenny questioned what he described as growing efforts by some CDC officials to promote a political comeback for former President Weah, insisting that the party has failed to demonstrate why Liberians should entrust it with another mandate.
“Those who want to fertilize the embryo of a Weah return are doing so with one common intent—to abuse the state through irregularities and subsequently silence the public through murder,” Tenny asserted.
He went on to question what he described as the absence of any meaningful evidence that circumstances surrounding the former President had fundamentally changed since Liberians voted the CDC out of office in the 2023 presidential election.
“The hard question even D-12 cannot truthfully answer is what has changed with Weah,” he wrote, referring to Tweah by his popular nickname.
Tenny further questioned what he described as Weah’s tangible legacy after six years in office, accusing the former administration of allowing senior officials to loot public resources while failing to protect state institutions from corruption and economic mismanagement.
Challenges Tweah’s Road Project Claims
Tenny also took direct aim at Tweah’s assertions regarding Liberia’s major road projects, particularly comments suggesting that the Ganta–Zwedru Highway was initiated by the CDC administration.
Describing the claim as historically inaccurate, Tenny argued that planning for the strategic highway corridor dates back well before the CDC came to power in 2018.
“I heard D-12 saying that the Ganta to Zwedru corridor was initiated by Weah,” Tenny stated.
“How can such a barefaced lie be allowed to distort the memory of this once erudite scholar?”
Drawing on his own experience as a former consultant with the Ministry of Public Works in 2010, Tenny said the project had already been under consideration by the World Bank during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf under the Unity Party government.
According to him, Tweah’s remarks represent an attempt to revise the historical record regarding one of Liberia’s most significant road infrastructure projects.
His comments come only days after policy analyst S. Emmanuel Lloyd similarly challenged Tweah’s account of the Ganta–Zwedru Highway, arguing that while financing agreements may have been signed across successive administrations, infrastructure should ultimately be judged by implementation rather than political claims.
Questions Weah’s Commitment to the CDC
Tenny also questioned Weah’s personal commitment to the CDC after noting the former President’s absence from the party’s anniversary celebration in Zwedru.
According to him, it was difficult to reconcile the significance of the event with Weah’s decision to remain in the United States, where reports indicated he attended a football match involving his son.
“It was supposed to be an event to bring opportunists together to decide the strategy of 2029,” Tenny wrote.
“How can any rational person comprehend such charade when the host of the event was in Philly watching the soccer match of the USA in which his son was benched by the coaches?”
He further questioned the participation of prominent opposition figures at the gathering, arguing that some political leaders were allowing themselves to be misled by what he described as political theatrics rather than genuine national leadership.
‘Weah Has No Appetite to Return’
Perhaps Tenny’s most striking assertion was his claim that former President Weah himself has little interest in seeking another term in office.
According to him, many of those advocating for a Weah comeback are motivated more by personal financial interests than by the former President’s own political ambitions.
“Anyone with a little sense can figure out that Weah has no appetite to be president again,” Tenny declared.
“Only those who allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by Weah want to resurrect themselves financially through criminal means to bring him back.”
He predicted that many of those working to position Weah for a political comeback would ultimately find themselves disappointed as Liberia approaches the 2029 elections.
Liberians Will Decide
Despite his criticism of the former ruling party, Tenny said the ultimate verdict rests with the Liberian electorate.
He argued that voters would compare the records of successive administrations before deciding who should govern the country after the next presidential election.
“To imagine that our people will reject progress for entertainment is to underestimate the thinking of our people,” he wrote.
“The people will reflect on the previous six years and decide on the best path for their children.”
He concluded by expressing confidence that what he described as the Unity Party government’s seriousness and dedication to governance would earn President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and his administration a second mandate.
A Long-Running Critic of Weah
Tenny’s latest comments are consistent with a series of increasingly outspoken criticisms he has directed at his former political allies since the CDC left office.
In December 2023, shortly after the presidential transition, he publicly described Weah’s six-year presidency as a “tragic failure” and criticized the former President following remarks made at his Forky Klon Jlaleh Family Fellowship Church, where Weah blamed internal party disloyalty for the CDC’s electoral defeat.
At the time, Weah also indicated that he had no intention of returning to the presidency in 2029, saying he hoped to spend more time with his children and family after leaving office.
More recently, Tenny stirred fresh political controversy by suggesting that Weah—not President Boakai—was the “true mastermind” behind the legal troubles confronting former Finance Minister Tweah. He argued that the Boakai administration had little interest in pursuing political vendettas and instead accused the former President of viewing Tweah’s growing political influence as a potential threat within the CDC.
Those remarks sparked widespread debate across Liberia’s political landscape and further cemented Tenny’s emergence as one of the most vocal former CDC insiders now publicly challenging the leadership and direction of the former ruling party.
As political positioning for the 2029 general elections gathers momentum, Tenny’s latest intervention adds another layer to the growing public battle over the CDC’s legacy, the Weah administration’s record, and competing visions for Liberia’s future.
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