Monrovia, Liberia – A prominent Liberian cleric has called on the Liberian Senate to intervene following explosive allegations made by Deputy Minister for Press & Public Affairs at the Ministry of Information, Daniel Sando, who claimed that Senator Amara Konneh helped rig the 2017 presidential election. Reverend Solomon Manneh Muin, a concerned Liberian clergy based in Philadelphia, has condemned the accusation as a dangerous assault on the nation’s democratic integrity, stating that such claims threaten to unravel the fragile trust citizens place in the electoral process.
The controversy erupted when Deputy Information Minister Daniel Sando, during a public exchange, accused Senator Konneh of conspiring to manipulate the 2017 election, which ultimately led to the presidency of former President George Manneh Weah . The allegations quickly escalated into a bitter war of words, during which Sando also made personal remarks referencing Konneh’s Muslim faith, telling him to “return to the mosque to ask Allah for forgiveness” .
However, Rev. Muin is urging the nation to look beyond the partisan squabbles and personal attacks. “This matter must not be reduced to a contest between the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and the Unity Party,” Rev. Muin stated in his press release. He emphasized that the issue transcends party loyalty and strikes at the heart of Liberia’s democracy. “At stake is the integrity of Liberia’s electoral system, the legitimacy of democratic transitions, and the confidence of citizens in the institutions responsible for protecting their votes.”
Rev. Muin argued that such a grave allegation from a senior government official cannot be dismissed as mere “political rhetoric or partisan banter.” He is calling upon the Liberian Senate to use its institutional authority to demand that Minister Sando substantiate his claims or publicly withdraw them. “If evidence exists that the 2017 presidential election was improperly influenced or rigged, the Liberian people have a right to know,” he asserted. “If no such evidence exists, the Liberian people equally deserve to know that.” He warned that allowing such a serious accusation to “be introduced into the public discourse and then abandoned without scrutiny” sets a dangerous precedent.
A Dangerous Precedent for Democracy
The clergy’s concern is rooted in Liberia’s fragile post-civil war history. He warned that unsupported allegations of election rigging can have several “dangerous consequences,” including undermining public confidence in future elections and delegitimizing the peaceful transfer of power . “Once public confidence in elections is destroyed, no political party ultimately benefits,” Rev. Muin argued. “Liberia loses.”
This plea for institutional accountability comes amid heightened political tension. The dispute between Sando and Konneh intensified after Senator Konneh publicly criticized the Boakai administration’s handling of Liberia’s ongoing drug crisis, specifically questioning whether investigations into senior officials over cocaine seizures would be allowed to run independently . Sando defended the administration by attacking Konneh’s credibility and his role in the 2017 electoral history.
While Senator Dillon of Montserrado County has publicly rebuked Sando for invoking religion, labeling the remarks “inappropriate and out of order” , Rev. Muin is pushing for a broader examination of the substance of the election-rigging allegation. “The question should not be: Who benefits politically from Minister Sando’s statement?” Rev. Muin posed. “The question should be: Is the allegation true, and what evidence supports it?”
The 2017 Context and a Call for the Truth
The 2017 elections marked a historic moment in Liberia’s democratic development, a peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected president to another . According to the National Elections Commission, George Weah won the run-off with 61.5% of the vote, defeating Vice President Joseph Boakai . Minister Sando’s claim directly challenges the legitimacy of that process.
As the debate rages on, Senator Konneh has defended himself vigorously, responding to Sando’s personal attacks by asserting his identity as a “proud Liberian Muslim” and dismissing his accuser as an “unskilled sycophant” . However, Rev. Muin insists that the matter is bigger than their personal feud.
“Elections are the sacred democratic instruments through which citizens peacefully determine who governs them,” Rev. Muin concluded. “Our elections are sacred. The people’s vote is sacred. Our democratic institutions must be protected. And allegations capable of undermining them must be answered with evidence, accountability, and the truth.” He has called upon civil society, the media, and all democratic institutions to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves to protect the Republic’s electoral history and its future.
