Monrovia, Liberia — February 10, 2026: Grand Gedeh County Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennue, a recently expelled member of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), has leveled serious accusations against the previous administration led by former President George M. Weah. Senator Pennue claims that public funds earmarked for road maintenance were routinely diverted for political activities rather than used to fix Liberia’s crumbling roads.
Speaking during a Senate session on Tuesday with Public Works Minister Roland Lafayette Giddings, Senator Pennue alleged that portions of the national budget meant for road maintenance were frequently removed or reallocated for what he described as “internal purposes.” This, he argued, left communities struggling with deteriorating road conditions despite repeated budgetary allocations intended to address the nation’s poor infrastructure.
“Every year, we put money in the budget for road maintenance, but some people took it out and never used it for its intended purpose,” Pennue lamented. He further alleged that millions of dollars designated for road construction and repairs were instead funneled into political campaigns.
“Funds meant to build and maintain roads were misused for campaign purposes while ordinary citizens suffered,” he said. Despite his criticism of the past administration, Senator Pennue praised the current Unity Party (UP) government for what he described as its inclusive approach toward Grand Gedeh County — an area that did not overwhelmingly support the ruling party in the last election.
“We didn’t vote for this government, but they have still paid attention to our people. That’s what good leadership looks like,” he said, commending President Joseph Boakai’s administration.
Pennue has long been a vocal critic of the Weah-led government, and his continued praise of the current administration reportedly contributed to his expulsion from the CDC, alongside two other party members.
“CDC Messed Up the Road Sector,” Says Public Works Minister
Amid Senator Pennue’s claims, Liberia’s Minister of Public Works, Roland L. Giddings, echoed Senator Pennue’s concerns, sharply criticizing the CDC’s management of the nation’s road projects. Appearing on Okay FM in Monrovia, Minister Giddings accused the Weah administration of leaving behind a trail of mismanagement, unpaid contractors, and abandoned construction sites.
“The CDC government messed up the road sector,” Giddings said, describing how the current Unity Party government inherited widespread infrastructural challenges, including poor-quality roadwork and heavy debts to local contractors.
He explained that the first two years of the Boakai administration were spent essentially “cleaning up the mess” left behind — auditing old contracts, paying arrears, and reassessing stalled or failed projects.
“Before we could start anything new, we had to clear the backlog—verify claims, fix the debt problems, and straighten out the system,” he explained.
Now that the cleanup phase has ended, the Minister said, the government is focusing on implementing large-scale road projects that meet higher quality standards and provide long-term benefits to the country’s economy and transportation network.
Minister Giddings emphasized that the Boakai government remains committed to building reliable infrastructure that fosters development while restoring public trust in how government projects are managed.
These statements from Senator Pennue and Minister Giddings have reignited national discourse about accountability and transparency in Liberia’s infrastructure development, highlighting ongoing efforts to correct what officials describe as systemic failures inherited from the past administration.
