MONROVIA – Alexander B. Cummings has now stepped into the fight over Liberia’s new Cybercrime Act. The Alternative National Congress (ANC) Political Leader says the recent arrests do not match what the law actually says. He also welcomed the government’s billion-dollar revenue milestone, but warned that ordinary Liberians will feel nothing if spending patterns stay the same. On opposition unity, he struck a noticeably more guarded note. The ANC will keep talking to fellow opposition parties, he said. But it will not simply repeat the mistakes of the defunct Collaborating Political Parties (CPP). His remarks cast the ANC as a critic of the government and a wary partner to the wider opposition, as THE ANALYST reports.
Alternative National Congress (ANC) Political Leader Alexander B. Cummings has weighed in on several national issues, including recent arrests under Liberia’s Cybercrime Act, the revenue performance of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), the resignation of ANC member Fubbi Henry and ongoing talks on opposition unity. Cummings questioned whether the recent arrests are consistent with the provisions of the newly passed law.
“Based on my understanding of the law, what the people were arrested for isn’t in line with the Cybercrime Law that was recently passed,” Cummings said.
He said the ANC is examining the details of the arrests to determine whether the law was properly applied. “Cybercrime is a challenge, and we need to address it, and we need to make sure we’re doing it appropriately,” he added.
The Cybercrime Act of 2025, passed by the Senate in November 2025 and signed into law by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. on August 19, 2026, faces its first major public test in the case of Jerry Nyantee Wrato.
Wrato was arrested over AI-generated images and videos depicting Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, who has since called for his release. The Liberia National Police (LNP) has nonetheless said Wrato will be forwarded to court on four cybercrime counts, and the charges have yet to be tested in court.
A Billion Is Not Enough
On the LRA’s recent revenue announcement, Cummings described the development as positive but urged the government to pay close attention to how the additional money is allocated and spent.
“I think it’s a good thing,” he said, recalling that during the 2017 presidential debate he argued that Liberia’s national budget should already have exceeded US$1 billion (L$182.36 billion).
Liberia’s revenue and budget, he said, should now be considerably higher. “Our revenue and budget should have been a billion dollars years ago, and now I think it should be over two to three billion dollars,” he said.
Cummings compared Liberia’s revenue performance with that of neighboring countries, arguing that the country still has significant room to expand its fiscal capacity.
While applauding the achievement, he said the central issue should now be how the resources are allocated.
“Now the focus should be on how that money is spent and how it’s being allocated,” Cummings said.
He warned that higher revenue would not necessarily improve living conditions for ordinary Liberians if public resources continue to be allocated as in the past.
“If it’s allocated the same way it’s been done in the past, which is what is being done now, ordinary Liberians will not feel the benefit of that billion dollars,” he said.
President Boakai marked the US$1 billion domestic revenue milestone in a special address on September 15. Cummings did not say which areas of spending he believes should be reprioritized.
On Fubbi Henry’s Exit
Cummings also commented on the resignation of Fubbi Henry from the ANC. He confirmed that Henry had been a member of the party but said the resignation did not change Henry’s standing as a Liberian citizen or a resident of Montserrado County Electoral District #9.
“Fubbi Henry was a member of the party, and he resigned, but that’s okay. He’s still a Liberian and a citizen of District 9,” Cummings said. He did not address the reasons for Henry’s departure.
ANC Open to Unity Talks
On opposition unity and the recent roundtable involving former President George Manneh Weah and other opposition actors, Cummings said the ANC remains open to discussions with other opposition parties.
“Opposition unity is important, and we’re open to conversations with other opposition parties,” he said.
However, he stressed that the ANC intends to learn from what he described as mistakes made under the former Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) arrangement.
“We have learned from the mistakes of the past CPP, and we will not repeat those mistakes,” he asserted.
The CPP brought together the ANC, the Unity Party, the Liberty Party and the All Liberian Party before it collapsed in acrimony ahead of the 2023 elections. Its breakup left the ANC contesting that election on its own ticket.
Cummings said talks with other parties will continue, but that any future collaboration must serve the ANC’s interests.
“We’ll see where things go. We’ll continue to have conversations, but this time around we’ll make sure it’s in our best interest, whichever collaboration we work with,” he said.
The comments come as parties and political actors continue discussions ahead of Liberia’s next electoral cycle. Opposition coordination, governance, public revenue and the application of new legislation remain subjects of national debate.
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