Published: April 14, 2025
MONROVIA – Justin Oldpa Yeazehn, the controversial political commentator and senatorial aspirant popularly known as “Prophet Key,” is being held in police custody following allegations of forgery linked to his disqualified candidacy for the upcoming Nimba County Senatorial by-election.
The Liberian Investigator has confirmed that Prophet Key was invited to the Liberia National Police (LNP) Headquarters on the morning of Monday, April 14, 2025, for questioning. The police action followed a formal complaint from the National Elections Commission (NEC) to the Ministry of Justice, alleging that Yeazehn submitted a fraudulent Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) ID card as part of his application to contest the April 22 by-election.
The Justice Ministry, in turn, requested the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter, prompting Monday’s summons. According to Atty. Samwar Fallah, legal counsel for Prophet Key, he accompanied his client to the LNP Headquarters at approximately 10 a.m. They remained at the premises well into the evening. Despite repeated requests, Fallah said, the police refused to release his client into hiq custody.
The police have yet to provide a public statement on the matter, but sources within the department hinted that Prophet Key may remain in custody pending the outcome of the investigation into the alleged election-related fraud.
NEC Disqualification
The controversy stems from Prophet Key’s disqualification by the NEC on grounds that he submitted a fake BVR card number—03604913266—which does not exist in the commission’s electoral database. NEC stated that the fraudulent document was detected during the vetting process for the Nimba County by-election and deemed it a violation severe enough to disqualify him.
The issue first came to light when Printiss Domah, secretary-general of the Unity Party Youth Congress in Nimba, publicly accused Yeazehn of presenting a fabricated BVR number. Local Voices Liberia, an independent fact-checking organization, later confirmed that the number was invalid and that Prophet Key was not listed in the official Final Registration Roll (FRR) compiled during the 2023 Biometric Voter Registration exercise.
In a follow-up investigation, The Liberian Investigator verified that despite not registering in 2023, Prophet Key submitted a form to the NEC that included biometric information and a signature affirming all details were true. The form, signed on March 11, 2025, even listed a foreign Moroccan telephone number (+212600464707) rather than a Liberian one, raising further questions about his residency and eligibility.
Reaction and Denial
Yeazehn, who gained political prominence for his scathing Facebook podcasts criticizing the former George Weah administration, has denied any wrongdoing. Speaking briefly to The Liberian Investigator, he insisted that he registered on April 27, 2023, and obtained his voter card through proper channels.
“If they say I did not register, then how did I get a copy of the printed form?” Yeazehn asked. “I got it from the file NEC used to issue the certificate. So just ask those who are saying I did not register.”
He failed to provide a copy of the voter card despite promising to do so after an initial phone interview.
In a separate Facebook post, Prophet Key accused NEC of deliberately withholding the rejection letter from his official email to deny him the opportunity to respond within the commission’s 48-hour window. He also alleged that NEC Co-chairperson Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves declined to sign the disqualification letter, suggesting division within the electoral body.
Legal Precedent and Political Implications
Under Liberian law, lying under oath—a charge that could be tied to submitting false information to a government agency—is a first-degree misdemeanor. Although NEC’s framework does not explicitly spell out criminal penalties for aspirants who falsify information, Chapter 26 of the Liberian Penal Law criminalizes perjury and other forms of public deception.
This is not the first time a candidate has faced disqualification for lacking valid registration. In 2005, presidential hopeful Hananiah Zoe was barred from contesting the election after the NEC confirmed he was not a registered voter. The Supreme Court upheld the NEC’s decision, reinforcing that only registered voters may seek public office.
Article 48 of the 1986 Constitution stipulates that anyone vying for a legislative seat must be a registered voter—30 years of age for Senate aspirants and 25 for the House of Representatives.
Discussion about this post