MONROVIA – Last week witnessed quite a raucous verbal exchanges between the ruling Unity Party administrations’ public relations lackeys and apologists on the one hand and Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe on the other over alleged commitments attributed to the Senator suggesting he had expressed delight in seeing the government failed miserably in its development strides. The administration spokespersons and pro-government actors were particularly verbally unkind to the Senator but he also fired back with collateral volleys of biting characterizations. Meanwhile, a panelist on the Spoon Talk’s nocturnal talk show program at which Snowe stands accused of spewing cursive diatribes has vindicated him on the controversial comments. THE ANALYST reports.
Edwin Snowe’s usual brutally frank, at times cruel, political statements mostly during public shows would often put him at odd with many, particularly the establishments, who normally would not take such outbursts lying down. Yet again, he has run into trouble with the current administration for comments made during a popular radio/social media talk show – comments understood by apologists of government as wishing the already struggling regime ill-luck.
The Bomi County Senator, while attending the United Nations and Folke Bernadotte Academy-facilitated course on Dialogue and Mediation, in Stockholm, Sweden from May 18 to 24, 2025, served as a host on one of SpoonTalk show where he not only announced his presidential ambition in 2029, but also indicated his wish that the government achieves less as to pave his way to the country’s highest public office.
Government Responds – Venomously
The proposition by the Liberian representative to the ECOWAS Parliament did not go down well with government, prompting what some pundits described as disproportionate riposte.
In addition to crude statements uttered on the social and traditional media, the Government issued an official statement through the Ministry of Information, stating that it condemns recent “irresponsible and inflammatory statement” made by Bomi County Senator Edwin Snowe, who is also a member of the ECOWAS Parliament.
The government accused the lawmaker of vowing to use his connections at the sub-regional body, ECOWAS, to ensure the failure of the Government of Liberia led by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.
The statement also quoted Snowe declaring that he would “do everything possible including using his connections in ECOWAS to make the Boakai-led government to fail, even if it means discouraging foreign direct investment to Liberia and making the country ungovernable and unstable until he, Snowe, becomes President of Liberia”.
The Government of Liberia reminded the Bomi County Senator and other officials, “who may hold similar thought, that no citizen is licensed to undermine his/her own country and government by vowing to use ECOWAS internal institutions or other international organizations to either promote their selfish ambitions or plot destabilization”.
The Government of Liberia registered a complaint against the legislator to “all sub-regional, regional and international organizations to ensure that such a plan by Mr. Snowe and his collaborators to undermine and destabilize the Liberian Government is not actualized”.
“Liberia continues to remain a champion of peace, security and economic integration within the Mano River Union (MRU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU) and the broader international system,” the Boakai administration said.
The statement reaffirmed government assurance to the citizens of Liberia that it has the capacity to, at all times, meet its obligations to the Liberian people and will do all it can to succeed, keep the country safe, ensure stability and prevent those wishing to cause chaos from achieving their intentions.
The government also urged the Liberian people to work continuously with and lend support to their government to meet their needs, and build a prosperous nation.
Snowe’s fiery riposte
While still abroad attending state functions, and upon gathering the attacks on his person by spokespersons of Government, the Bomi lawmaker swiftly resorted to his social media page to respond.
“I have just come across an unfortunate and deeply troubling statement posted on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Information, purportedly attributing to me inflammatory and irresponsible remarks allegedly intended to undermine and destabilize the Government of Liberia,” he said on his Facebook page.
“While I take steps to verify the authenticity of this publication, I wish to state, in the strongest possible terms, that I categorically reject and condemn any such false and unfounded allegations. Should the statement be confirmed as authentic, I will immediately call for a full, independent, and transparent investigation into these malicious accusations against my person.”
Perhaps after authenticating the incident, Snowe, who also serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and the African Peer Review Mechanism, decided to take his time to address what he terms as a deliberate misinterpretation of his recent remarks concerning the performance and future of the Unity Party-led government.
Prior to Government’s statement over weekend Hon. Snowe in a follow-up call-in interview on a local radio station in Monrovia last Monday, while participating in a United Nations and Folke Bernadotte Academy-facilitated course on Dialogue and Mediation, Senator Snowe described as “cheap propaganda” the utterances from government circles attempting to twist his words for political reasons.
The controversy began after Senator Snowe’s three-hour interview earlier this month on Spoon Talk, where he was asked who he would support in the 2029 presidential election, former President George Weah, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, or an alternative.
His response was clear: “I am the alternative; I will support myself.”
This statement reportedly unsettled some members of the current administration, who accused the Senator of wishing for the government’s failure.
“[Spook Talk host] Stanton asked me, ‘Why, you don’t want the government to succeed? You don’t want the government to have a second term?’ And I said, no. If with everything they are doing they fail, then they will not get a second term,” Snowe clarified.
Senator Snowe maintained that his position was misunderstood and manipulated.
“I never said I want the government to fail,” he asserted. “I challenge anyone in the ruling establishment to point to a time I ever said so. All I said was I want the government to be a one-term government that is my opinion as an opposition lawmaker.”
Despite the backlash, Senator Snowe affirmed that his stance does not mean he hates Liberia or wishes ill for the country. “Why would I not want Liberia to succeed? I am a responsible opposition. I provide oversight and support to this government where necessary. Check my records in the Senate,” he said.
He went on to cite several areas where he has constructively engaged with government agencies, including the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Call the heads of these institutions. Ask them the level of cooperation they get from me as the chairman of the relevant committees. I have an excellent working relationship with them,” Snowe emphasized.
He also disclosed that he recently met with President Joseph Boakai, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, and Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence. “The President listened to the original recording himself and agreed that what some of his people are saying is contrary to what I actually said.”
Snowe described the current political climate as hostile to criticism. “Unfortunately, in our society, if you tell someone the truth, it means you hate them. But in any functioning democracy, there will be opposing views. That is not hatred that is healthy governance.”
He further debunked claims made by a close associate who allegedly accused him of lobbying ECOWAS member states not to support Liberia’s nomination at the United Nations. “That’s untrue. Liberia is ECOWAS’s nominee, and the organization has a bloc vote. I have not done anything to undermine that. For the record, I wish Liberia well, and I wish this government well, but for one term only,” he reiterated.
Senator Snowe called on the Unity Party and its supporters to embrace constructive criticism if they are to succeed. “If you are doing well, we will say it. If you’re not, we’ll also say it. We cannot all go around shouting ‘all hail’ blindly. That is not patriotism,” he concluded.
As discussions surrounding the 2029 elections begin to surface, Snowe’s candid remarks have once again underscored the tension between opposition perspectives and the ruling establishment. Whether his stance will shape the national discourse moving forward remains to be seen but one thing is clear: Senator Snowe intends to speak his truth, regardless of who takes offense.
Spoon panelist Glendy’s Testimony
As the war of words heated up between the senator and the government spokespersons, one of the panelists on the identical show, Glendy Jane Junius, later expressed shock at the manner and the unnecessary spins been placed on the Snowe comments.
“When was this stated?” she alarmed, perhaps indicating she did not hear Snowe explicitly wishing government ill-fated.
“There is excessive English written here in the Ministry’s statement, and a clear misrepresentation of Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr.’s statement,” Glendy added. “The Ministry’s statement is overly dramatic. This is wrong and not fair.”
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