Published: July 10, 2026
MONROVIA — Schoolchildren were turned away from the Senate chamber Thursday after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee refused to address lawmakers as “Honorable,” escalating a confrontation that has reignited one of Liberia’s most uncomfortable political debates: who deserves the title, and whether it is a matter of law, protocol or earned integrity.
The controversy flared Wednesday when Gbowee, in a Facebook post, urged Liberians to “stop calling those people honorable,” arguing the word must be earned through service. “Who give you that name? Who told you that you are honorable?” she wrote. She challenged anyone to show her where the Constitution mandates the title and offered US$10,000 to constituents who could.
The next day, during a visit to the Capitol with students of her Peace Through Fair Play Pact, Gbowee said Senate staff conditioned the children’s access to the chamber on her addressing lawmakers as “Honorable Senators.” She refused, and the children were denied entry. The Senate has not commented on her account.
Gbowee doubled down Thursday. “It is pathetic… that people will put their egos above the well-being of Liberian children. If anyone can show me where in the Constitution or laws of Liberia it is written that senators and representatives should be called ‘Honourable,’ I will write a cheque for US$10,000,” she said.
Individual lawmakers have begun responding. Rep. Moima Briggs-Mensah of Bong County defended the title as one conferred by law on the office, not on the individual who holds it.
“We did not name ourselves; the Republic recognizes the office we hold,” she said, adding that officeholders who fail to deliver should be criticized as individuals, not through the institution. She argued that respect for public offices is essential even while citizens demand accountability.
Sen. Abraham Darius Dillon of Montserrado County said he has rejected the title since 2019, preferring “Senator Dillon,” “Abe” or “ADD.”
Rep. Yekeh Kolubah, the expelled Montserrado County District #10 lawmaker, has repeatedly dismissed the title as meaningless, arguing lawmakers’ conduct contradicts the very meaning of “honorable.”
The debate is not new. Robtel Neajai Pailey, the July 26, 2024, Independence Day orator, publicly labeled more than 40 members of the House of Representatives “dishonorable lawbreakers” during the prolonged speakership saga, drawing both applause and condemnation.
“Honorable” appears in legislative rules and official protocol, yet for many citizens it has become a moral barometer tied to performance, oversight and accountability, areas where the Legislature has faced sustained public criticism.
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