Former NEC Commissioner Backs Weedor for NEC Chairmanship

Published: June 3, 2026

MONROVIA – A former National Elections Commission commissioner who worked alongside Jonathan Weedor for seven years is urging the Liberian Senate to confirm President Joseph Boakai’s nominee for NEC chairman, dismissing concerns about Weedor’s past political associations as unfounded and arguing that no single commissioner has the power to manipulate election outcomes.

David Menyongai, a former Margibi County senator and ex-NEC commissioner, made the endorsement in Kakata, saying Weedor possesses the expertise, integrity and institutional experience required to lead the commission at a critical period for Liberia’s electoral process.

“Jonathan Weedor is qualified, experienced and capable of strengthening the country’s electoral process,” Menyongai said, urging lawmakers to endorse the nomination without delay.

Menyongai said he served alongside Weedor at the NEC from 2006 to 2013, when both held commissioner positions. During that period, Weedor oversaw finance and staffing while Menyongai supervised political party affairs, civic education and voter education. He described Weedor as a respected and effective member of the board whose conduct gave no cause for concern.

On the question of political bias, Menyongai was direct. He argued that Liberia’s electoral history offers repeated proof that personal or political relationships between NEC officials and candidates do not translate into electoral advantage. He cited the defeats of former Grand Kru County Sen. Blamo Nelson and former Senate Pro Tempore Gbehzohngar Findley while their relatives served on the NEC board. He also pointed to former NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya, a one-time Unity Party candidate, who presided over the 2017 elections that brought former President George Weah to power, and former NEC Co-Chair Teplah Reeves, who served during the 2023 elections in which Weah lost his re-election bid.

Menyongai said those examples demonstrate that the commission’s systems and procedures are designed to prevent individual commissioners from determining winners and losers, a point he said he was able to observe firsthand as an expert witness during the legal challenges to the 2017 election results.

He concluded that Weedor’s professional record and institutional knowledge make him well-suited for the chairmanship and called on the Senate to move forward with confirmation.