Monrovia, Liberia—Reports that former President George Manneh Weah has given up on running in Liberia’s 2029 presidential election have been strongly denied by former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, who maintains that the former Liberian leader is still determined to seek reelection. Kemayah’s remarks coincide with mounting speculation that Weah might have given up his presidential aspirations to Alexander Cummings, the political leader of the Alternative National Congress, as opposition parties consider potential coalitions in front of the upcoming election cycle.
Speaking on the subject, Kemayah characterized such assertions as untrue, impractical, and driven by politics. Kemayah claims that it is inconceivable and unrealistic for anyone to think that His Excellency President Dr. George Weah, the country’s 25th and soon to be 27th president, will give up on his presidential aspirations. For Liberians, the idea is terrible and demonic in and of itself. He also refuted rumors that Weah will resign to make room for another political figure. It is not feasible or achievable. This idea is absurd. This isn’t feasible. “This will never come to pass,” he added.
He also rejected the idea that Weah would resign in favor of a different political figure. It is something that is impractical and unthinkable. This is unrealistic. “It is not possible,” Kemayah said. He maintained, “This is something that will not become reality.”
According to Kemayah, who said that he had spoken with Weah on the day the reports initially surfaced, the former president is still hopeful that Liberians will reject false information. He added that Weah used a text from the Gospel of John to highlight the importance of truth in public discourse. Despite his respect for Cummings, Kemayah insisted that Weah’s political fate remains unchanged. Cummings is a friend. He is a stockholder in Liberia. He said, “I respect him and will always respect him.”
Kemayah insisted that Weah is still focused on the 2029 race in spite of the statement. In 2029, President Dr. George Manneh Weah will run for office. He said he will not just run for office but also win Kemayah added. According to Kemayah, Weah will continue to work to bring opposition forces together in order to stop President Joseph Nyuma Boakai from winning a second term.
Weah’s changing public declarations regarding his political future provide context for Kemayah’s comments. Weah hinted that he will not run for office again after losing the 2023 presidential race by a slim margin to President Boakai. Speaking at his Forky Klon Jlaleh Family Fellowship Church in Paynesville, he mentioned retirement and his age as reasons for his choice. Weah questioned the viability of serving just a few years before reaching retirement age at the time, pointing out that he would be sixty-three by the 2029 election.
Later on, though, the former president changed his mind and made it clear that he intended to run again. Weah argued that the Unity Party leadership reduced democratic institutions and ignoring the nation’s problems at a CDC event in 2025.
