Tensions Flare in Zwedru as Butt Naked and Yekeh Kolubah Clash Over Presidential Parade
Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County — A heated standoff erupted in Zwedru this week between two of Liberia’s most controversial figures—Representative Yekeh Kolubah and former warlord-turned-preacher Joshua Milton Blahyi, widely known as “General Butt Naked.”
The tension began after Representative Kolubah, a fierce critic of the government, led a rousing motorbike parade through Zwedru ahead of the reburial ceremony of former President Samuel K. Doe. The Grand Gedeh parade, which drew scores of supporters, was seen by some as a political statement—especially after Kolubah warned President Joseph Boakai against using Doe’s reburial as a “vote-hunting scheme” for 2029.
Blahyi, who has reinvented himself as a preacher but remains a polarizing figure due to his violent past during Liberia’s civil war, took exception to Kolubah’s presence and activities in the county. In a fiery address, Blahyi accused Kolubah of disrespecting the region and warned that Kolubah’s movements and speeches would be restricted by him and his supporters.
“Butt Naked, I respect you as my in-law,” Kolubah responded in a defiant public challenge, “but if you don’t want that respect, I will take it from you. I will leave Grand Gedeh tomorrow—so if you’re ready, you can come and let’s do what you want to do.”
Blahyi had earlier threatened to personally join Kolubah’s motorbike parade if the lawmaker did not vacate areas surrounding President Boakai’s location in the county.
