Published: November 19, 2025
Speaking during Senate plenary, Snowe said the attacks are not coming from ordinary citizens but from top government officials who should be upholding professionalism and respect for oversight.
MONROVIA — Bomi County Sen. Edwin Snowe warned Tuesday that senior officials in the executive branch are increasingly targeting lawmakers with insults, intimidation and public attacks — a pattern he says undermines the dignity of the Legislature and threatens Liberia’s democratic balance.
Speaking during Senate plenary, Snowe said the attacks are not coming from ordinary citizens but from top government officials who should be upholding professionalism and respect for oversight.
“In the discharge of our constitutional duty to provide oversight, we are increasingly being insulted or accused by public officials,” he said. “These attacks are not coming from ordinary citizens in the streets — they are coming directly from officials of the government.”
Snowe Cites Escalating Pattern
Snowe referenced several recent incidents, including backlash he received after the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs questioned a foreign minister over alleged misuse of diplomatic passports. He said two government officials launched public attacks against him after the hearing.
He also accused Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah of “doctoring” a comment he made on a radio program — altering it to suggest Snowe wanted to destabilize the government by calling for a one-term administration. Snowe said he filed a formal complaint and is still awaiting Senate leadership’s response.
Another flashpoint, he said, involved the Director-General of the Liberia Broadcasting System. Snowe accused the LBS boss of insulting him and the Senate after he raised concerns about a reported gambling center operating within the institution.
Attack on Dillon Cited as Warning Sign
Snowe said the hostility is not limited to him. He pointed to repeated attacks against Montserrado County Sen. Abraham Darius Dillon after Dillon questioned work-permit procedures at the Ministry of Labor. He said the minister used official platforms to accuse Dillon of blocking his prior nomination for minister of justice — and that the minister’s political party later escalated the rhetoric, issuing statements accusing Dillon of targeting Nimbaians and even linking him to the death of former Nimba Sen. Prince Johnson.
Snowe called those allegations “dangerous and life-threatening.”
“If these actions by agents of the executive and other state actors go unchecked, today it may be Edwin Snowe, the proud opposition senator, who is under attack,” he said. “But tomorrow it could be Senator Dillon, a member of the ruling party.”
Calls for Senate Action
Snowe urged the Senate to act swiftly to protect its members and preserve its constitutional authority.
“My appeal to this Senate is that we take appropriate action now, or else we may forever hold our peace,” he said. “These actions constitute gross disrespect to the Senate and undermine our constitutional responsibilities.”
Dillon echoed Snowe’s concerns and recommended summoning Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah and LBS Director-General Eugene Fahngon for questioning.
Nimba County Sen. Nya Twayen called for the Senate to formally notify President Joseph Nyuma Boakai about the conduct of cabinet officials who publicly attack legislators, and to recommend disciplinary measures.
Senate President Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence agreed with notifying the president, but said the communication would take a “friendly” tone and request a meeting between the president and Senate leadership.
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