Veronica Mamie Doe, the daughter of late Liberian President Samuel Kanyon Doe, has publicly accused Grand Gedeh County Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennue of authorizing the unauthorized removal and reburial of her parents’ remains in Tuzon, the former president’s hometown.
In a strongly worded Facebook post on Thursday, Mamie alleged:
“ZOE PENNUE INSTRUCTED PEOPLE TO STEAL OUR PARENTS’ CASKETS AND BURY THEM IN TUZON AGAINST OUR WISHES. NO ONE CONSULTED US.”
Tuzon, located in Grand Gedeh County, is where the late President Doe was born. While it is widely regarded as a symbolic site for Doe loyalists, Mamie claimed the decision to move the remains there was made without any consultation with the Doe family. She condemned the act as a complete disregard for the family’s authority and wishes.
Senator Pennue later made it clear that the removal of the remains from Zwedru to Tuzon was to fulfill traditional rites for the former President who was born in Tuzon. Senator Pennue also stated that he and some elders of the family were stationed at Tuzon awaiting gthe convoy that was carrying the remains of the former president, with hopes that the convoy will make its first stop at Tuzon so that those traditional rites could be performed but to their utmost surprise, the convoy passed through Tuzon and didn’t make a stop.
Prior to the arrival of the remains, scenes from Zwedru showed major cleaning and renovation works at Doe’s unfinished mansion, which led the public to assume the site was being prepared for an official ceremony. However, the family’s internal disagreements quickly became public.
The latest claims by Mamie Doe deepen a long-running dispute between her and Senator Pennue. The two have had a tense relationship for years, with tensions escalating earlier this month when Mamie accused Pennue of playing a role in the death of her mother, former First Lady Nancy B. Doe. Those accusations were also met with pushback from other members of the Doe family, who distanced themselves from Mamie’s claims during a public statement.
Appearing on The Spoon Talk Show, Mamie repeated her assertion that Senator Pennue, a Nephew of the late President, had a hand in her mother’s demise. She also made headlines recently for rejecting sympathy donations from former President George Weah, who was widely known to have admired President Doe during the early years of his football career.
While President Samuel Doe does not have a confirmed burial site, both the Liberian government and his surviving family have indicated plans to rebury him alongside the late First Lady Nancy Doe in Grand Gedeh County. On Wednesday, a hearse carrying two caskets was transported to the region for what was described as the final funeral rites. President Joseph Boakai traveled to Grand Gedeh to participate in the ceremonies.
President Samuel Kanyon Doe ruled Liberia from 1980 until his brutal killing in 1990 by the rebel faction led by Prince Yormie Johnson of the INPFL. His presidency remains one of Liberia’s most controversial, praised by some for its nationalism and criticized by others for its authoritarianism.
Former First Lady Nancy Doe, who had kept a low profile for decades following her husband’s death, died recently in Monrovia after a brief illness.
