Monrovia, Liberia – Assistant Minister for Manpower at the Ministry of Labour and Liberty Party Steward, Emmanuel K. Barnes, has issued one of the strongest public warnings yet to the Unity Party Alliance, declaring that the coalition’s biggest threat ahead of the 2029 general elections lies not with a united opposition, but within its own ranks.
In a strongly worded statement, Barnes argued that growing internal rivalries, political maneuvering, and premature succession politics are undermining the Boakai administration’s ability to govern effectively. He cautioned that unless government officials refocus their attention on delivering tangible results for Liberians, the alliance risks creating the very conditions that could lead to its electoral defeat.
“The Unity Party Alliance can only be defeated in 2029 by our own actions and not any imaginary opposition collaboration,” Barnes asserted.
According to him, political camps have already emerged within government around individuals perceived to be potential successors to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. He alleged that these rivalries are fueling divisions across ministries and agencies, where officials are increasingly judged by perceived political allegiance rather than competence and performance.
Barnes further claimed that reports of marginalization, workplace hostility, and internal segregation have become common across government institutions, creating an environment that distracts public officials from the administration’s core responsibility of improving the lives of ordinary Liberians.
He also criticized what he described as a growing sense of entitlement among certain political actors who believe they alone were responsible for President Boakai’s electoral victory. Such attitudes, he argued, have encouraged arrogance, fostered unhealthy competition, and shifted attention away from governance toward personal political ambitions.
Drawing from his own experience during the 2023 elections, Barnes recalled the disappointment within the Liberty Party after President Boakai selected Senator Jeremiah Koung as his running mate instead of Liberty Party Political Leader Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence. Despite the setback, he said party loyalists chose national interest over political disappointment and rallied behind Boakai’s candidacy in what they considered a collective effort to rescue Liberia.
Barnes said that episode serves as a reminder that political alliances are constantly evolving and that today’s rivals may become tomorrow’s allies. He therefore urged government officials to avoid creating unnecessary political enemies over succession politics that remain years away.
He maintained that the Boakai administration’s immediate priority should be delivering on its promises to the Liberian people rather than engaging in internal power struggles over the presidency.
Barnes concluded by calling on members of the Unity Party Alliance to remain united, warning that continued infighting and political exclusion could prove far more damaging than any opposition strategy. He stressed that the administration’s success in office will ultimately determine its electoral fortunes in 2029.
“Our responsibility today is to ensure President Boakai succeeds. If we remain focused on governance, service delivery, and national development, the people—not internal divisions—will decide our future,” Barnes emphasized.
