John AdoyiIn a surprising announcement on Sunday, Liberia’s immediate past President, George Weah, declared that he has no intention of staying in politics until he reaches the age of 90.
The 57-year-old president, who said he is set to retire at the age of 65, hinted that he would not run for the presidency in 2029.
President Weah made this revelation while addressing congregants at the Forkey Klon Jlateh Fellowship, located on the outskirts of the capital, Monrovia. Reflecting on his age and the country’s retirement age of 65, he emphasized the importance of promoting peace and prosperity for Liberia in the coming years.
“Right now, I’m 57, and our retirement age is 65. Six years from now, I will be 63, and I cannot work for two years. So, the best thing we can do now is to promote peace and prosperity for this country, and nobody is going to drag me into politics until I reach 90 years,” President Weah asserted.
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The announcement comes in the wake of President Weah’s defeat in the November 2023 run-off elections to Joseph Boakai who has been sworn in as substantive president.
As he prepared to hand over power, Weah clarified that he did not enter politics to cling to power indefinitely.
“I did not come into politics to hijack power, but I came into politics to play my part and prove to those who considered me insignificant that I couldn’t be president. I proved them wrong and became President, and the rest is history, as you can look around and see my fingerprints everywhere,” he said.
President Weah also took a swipe at some elderly politicians in Liberia who continue to be active in politics even at the age of 80. Expressing concern for the aging politicians, he remarked, “Right now, what we are faced with is that our parents who were involved in politics when we were young at age one; some of them can’t even walk, and they are still into politics even at age 80.”
While he did not disclose his specific plans for the future, Weah mentioned the need for “time for myself, children, and family.” He concluded by expressing gratitude to the people of Liberia for giving him the opportunity to serve as their president.
“Whether it was one time or 50 times, I can guarantee you that it is only one time,” President Weah assured the nation as he hand over power to the 79-year-old Joseph Boakai who has been active in the Liberian politics as a minister and 2-time Vice President of the West African nation under the Presidency of Johnson Sirleaf from 2005 to 2017.
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