Published: June 17, 2026
MONROVIA – A public dispute has broken out between suspended National Commission on Disabilities Executive Director Samuel S. Dean Sr. and Unity Party official Noah Zarwu Gibson, after Dean accused Gibson of orchestrating protests and maneuvering to drive him from office, claims Gibson firmly denies.
In a detailed statement released this week, Dean accused Gibson of masterminding demonstrations against him and pushing to replace him at the NCD with a preferred ally. Dean said the campaign dates to early 2025, when both men traveled to Germany for the Global Disability Summit. According to Dean, Gibson advised him to resign and go into business, warning that mounting demands from persons with disabilities would eventually force President Joseph Boakai to remove him.
Dean further claimed that Gibson held long-standing interests in the NCD leadership and had initially backed another candidate for the position. He alleged that after his own appointment, Gibson worked with some disability community leaders and others seeking roles at the Commission to organize protests against his administration, particularly over what he described as “political money” demands he declined to meet.
Dean also linked Gibson to demonstrations staged during a presidential event at the National Transit Authority, where Boakai unveiled newly procured buses, alleging the protests were timed to provoke executive action against him. He connected Gibson as well to unrest surrounding the observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the EJS Ministerial Complex, which ended in chaos, and accused him of using radio appearances to push for his removal and promote a preferred successor.
Gibson strongly denied orchestrating protests or seeking Dean’s removal, calling the accusations unfounded and politically motivated. He acknowledged that he had preferred a former university colleague for the NCD post before Dean’s appointment but said he eventually accepted Dean’s nomination and supported him publicly once he took office.
“I was not fighting his appointment,” Gibson said, saying that after intervention from senior government figures he dropped any preference for another candidate and worked to support Dean’s leadership.
Gibson said he consistently defended Dean during public criticism and protests at the Commission, including when demonstrators demanded his removal, and argued that the institution’s challenges were “systemic” rather than tied solely to Dean’s leadership. He said the turning point in their relationship came after the chaotic International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration, which he described as poorly managed.
The event deteriorated, Gibson said, after complaints over food distribution and organizational problems sparked agitation among attendees and forced police to intervene. He acknowledged criticizing the police response publicly before retracting the criticism and apologizing after learning more about the situation.
Gibson also denied influencing Boakai’s decision to suspend Dean, saying it occurred independently of their public disagreements. On the claim that he positioned an ally to replace Dean, he said the person he recommended was appointed to a deputy administration role, not executive director.
“The person I recommended did not take his position,” Gibson said. “The Acting Executive Director is somebody entirely different.”
Gibson rejected allegations that he was behind agitation seeking the removal of the current acting head of the NCD, saying he had no involvement with groups protesting the Commission’s leadership. He also dismissed suggestions that he manipulated or delayed an audit at the institution, arguing that such authority rests with government accountability bodies.
“That question should be directed to the people acting at the Commission,” Gibson said, adding that he supports completing the audit to ensure fairness and accountability.
Despite the dispute, Gibson described Dean as competent and intelligent and said he held no personal animosity toward him.
“I don’t have an issue with him,” Gibson said, adding that he believes Dean remains capable of contributing meaningfully to Liberian society despite their differences.
Boakai temporarily suspended Dean and the NCD’s deputy director for administration in late 2025 over allegations of financial mismanagement and accountability concerns at the Commission. The suspension, announced pending an audit by the General Auditing Commission, led to interim appointments while authorities investigate. Dean has maintained that neither he nor his deputy has formally received audit findings or official queries in the matter.
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