-Former VP Taylor Defends Moriah Yeakula
MONROVIA — Liberia’s Former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has defended opposition politician Madam Moriah Yeakula against public attack, declaring that propaganda will fail to destroy the legacy of a woman who refuses to be silent.
Madam Howard-Taylor issued her statement on Wednesday amid criticism targeting Yeakula, a prominent member of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC). The former VP called them products of “political desperation” and part of an old playbook designed to break women leaders.
“When a woman rises in power, the first weapon thrown at her is not truth—it is propaganda,” Howard-Taylor wrote. “No allegation—especially one born from political desperation—can erase a lifetime of service. No rumor can undo decades of courage.”
In her defense, Madam Howard-Taylor accused political rivals of weaponizing misinformation. She argued that when opponents cannot defeat a woman’s record, they target her reputation; when they cannot challenge her competence, they attack her character; and when they cannot match her strength, they manufacture scandal. “This is not accountability. This is not justice. This is an assault on women in leadership,” she wrote.
Madam Howard-Taylor also highlighted a double standard in Liberian politics. “A woman can serve her nation faithfully for years—uplifting communities, mentoring young women, breaking barriers—yet the moment a controversy surfaces, she is dragged before the court of public opinion while men walk free from far greater sins.”
The former vice president, who made history as Liberia’s first female VP, urged the public to judge Yeakula by her work and service, not by “noise” or gossip. “Her legacy is not built on gossip. It is built on service. It is built on courage. It is built on the lives she has touched and the doors she has opened.” She concluded: “I stand with Moriah. Not because she is perfect, but because she is powerful, because she is human, and because she has earned the right to be seen in full.”
