MONROVIA – Tensions are reportedly mounting within President Joseph N. Boakai’s inner circles over the recent nomination of Acting Chairman Clarence Massaquoi as Chairman proper of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), one of the country’s most strategic and lucrative regulatory institutions.
According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, key presidential aides are divided on whether Massaquoi should retain the highest post despite an official Senate communication acknowledging his nomination by President Boakai.
Massaquoi was named Acting Chairman of the LTA in June, shortly after then-Acting Chairman Abdullah Kamara was suspended based on findings from a General Auditing Commission (GAC) report. Recent reports suggest that Suspended Chairman Kamara could possibly be reconsidered if he establishes his innocence in Court.
Executive Mansion Insiders confiding in this paper say that the Minister of State without Portfolio, Mamaka Bility, is among those leading efforts for Massaquoi’s recent nomination to be reversed.
The disagreement and scramble for LTA Chairmanship between Suspended Chairman Abdullah Kamara and Acting Chairman Clarence Massaquoi has reportedly pitted factions of President Boakai’s senior advisers against one another, exposing deepening feud and fault lines within the Unity Party-led government.
The LTA, responsible for overseeing Liberia’s telecommunications and ICT sector, plays a pivotal role in national development and regulatory enforcement making the chairmanship a powerful and politically sensitive appointment.
Despite growing pressure, the President has yet to issue a public statement clarifying the administration’s position or the status of Massaquoi’s appointment.
Observers believe the unfolding internal dispute signals growing tensions in the early months of President Boakai’s administration, potentially impacting public confidence in the government’s cohesion and decision-making processes.
Why should Mr. Massaquoi be denied?
This is a developing story.
