MONROVIA, LIBERIA – In a rebuke of President N. Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s handling of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) Board suspension, the Senate has intensified the issue, demanding immediate answers and action from the Executive Branch. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Senate Plenary instructed its Joint Committee on Post and Telecommunications, in conjunction with the Judiciary, to take charge of the investigation and engage directly with the President regarding the ongoing suspension of the LTA Board of Commissioners.
The move follows Bomi County Senator Edwin M. Snowe Jr.’s impassioned call for the Senate to intervene in what he described as a prolonged and unexplained suspension that has lasted nearly a year. Senator Snowe, in his remarks, expressed deep concern that, despite a mandate for the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a thorough audit of the suspended Board members’ activities, the Senate had yet to receive any report or findings from the investigation. According to Snowe, the GAC’s failure to present its findings is a clear indication of executive inaction and a lack of transparency regarding the situation.
“The President suspended the entire LTA Board in April 2024, yet we have not seen any movement or report from the GAC. It’s been almost a year,” Snowe argued. He further challenged the Senate to take immediate action and press the executive to explain the continued suspension and failure to act on the audit findings.
This latest development comes after the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled on April 24, 2025, that President Boakai’s nominations to key positions in several agencies, including the LTA, were unlawful due to procedural errors. The Court found that the President had violated the tenure rights of the individuals in question, including Atty. Garrison Yealue of the Governance Commission and Edwina C. Zackpah of the LTA, whose appointments had been contested. The Court’s decision reaffirmed that the individuals in these positions had the right to remain in office until their terms officially expired.
Despite this ruling, President Boakai chose to suspend several of the affected individuals, including those from the LTA, citing activities inconsistent with their roles under the institutions’ governing acts. While interim replacements were appointed to fill these vacancies, the executive has failed to take further action, leaving key positions in limbo.
Senator Snowe, along with other Senate members, expressed frustration that the Executive Branch had not acted swiftly to resolve the legal issues surrounding the suspensions and replacements. The GAC’s audit, which was supposed to provide clarity on the situation, has been completed and presented to the President. However, the President has yet to take any decisive steps based on the audit’s findings.
