Pres. Boakai has vetoed 11 bills. “The nine township bills fail to satisfy the minimum benchmarks set forth under Section 2.16(e) of the Local Government Act of 2018,” President Joseph Nyuma Boakai said.
In a formal communication to House Speaker Hon. Richard Nagbe Koon, President Boakai defended his decision on legal and infrastructural grounds, stating that the proposed legislation failed to meet the statutory criteria outlined in the Local Government Act (LGA) of 2018. But lawmakers, particularly from Nimba County, are pushing back, calling the veto out of touch with Liberia’s socio-political realities and vowing to challenge it, possibly with a veto override.
President Boakai Cites Law and Capacity Concerns
According to the President, Section 2.16(e) of the Local Government Act establishes specific prerequisites for township status-requirements that the proposed Nimba townships do not fulfill. These include:
A minimum population of 5,000 residents
Functional waste management systems
Access to primary and junior high schools
Health facilities
Recreational areas
Designated cemeteries
Adequate road and transport infrastructure
Reliable business and communication services
Boakai stressed that “Liberia’s current infrastructural and economic realities make it difficult for many communities to meet these statutory standards.” He also flagged the lack of clearly defined geographical boundaries for the proposed townships as a major legal flaw.
On the matter of the two district bills, the President referenced Section 2.15 of the LGA, pointing out that the proposed legislation failed to specify whether the districts would be statutory or administrative.
He reminded the Legislature that all existing statutory districts are scheduled to be dissolved by November 23, 2025, under a transition clause in the same law. Creating new ones now, he argued, would make them obsolete before they could take effect.
“My decision to withhold approval of these bills is guided not by politics but by a commitment to legality, efficiency, and responsible governance,” Boakai stated, while reiterating his openness to constructive collaboration with lawmakers.
Senator Twayen: “The President Was Ill-Advised”
The veto has ignited backlash, particularly among lawmakers from Nimba County. Senator Nya D. Twayen issued a strongly worded statement questioning the quality of legal advice the President received and calling the veto inconsistent with Liberia’s legislative and political traditions.
“The legislature makes decisions on both socio-political and legal grounds, not just legality in totality,” Twayen argued.
He cited Liberia’s history of using flexible criteria, such as social cohesion, political representation, and population distribution, for creating new districts and townships.
“Advising the President to veto bills that may fall short of minor requirements, while meeting the fundamental ones, is not in the spirit of coordination,” he added.
The senator also pointed to glaring contradictions in the enforcement of the law, noting: “If we are to use the parity of the legal reasoning used, there should be no township in Liberia. Fun fact: your cities don’t even have garbage disposal systems and sites but you’re advising a veto of townships based on that… really?”
Twayen said the Nimba legislative caucus will formally request a line-by-line explanation of which benchmarks the proposed townships failed to meet. He also indicated that lawmakers may petition their colleagues to override the veto.
The situation now shifts to the Legislature, where lawmakers could exercise their constitutional authority to override the President’s veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers. Political observers say such a move would require significant bipartisan support—something not guaranteed in Liberia’s often divided legislature.
In the meantime, residents of the affected areas are being urged to remain calm. “We ask our citizens in the proposed township areas in Nimba to respect the ongoing legal and political processes during this period,” said Senator Twayen.
Whether the standoff ends in compromise or confrontation will likely define the next chapter in Liberia’s decentralization effort, and could test the strength of its post-war governance institutions.
