By: Julius Konton
Former Deputy Director of the state-run Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), Isaac Redd, has announced plans to begin consultations with political, traditional, religious and community stakeholders over a possible bid for the Jorquelleh District Three seat in Bong County in Liberia’s 2029 elections.
Redd said the consultations will run from October 1 through December 31, 2026, as he weighs whether to place his name on the ballot and seek a seat in the House of Representatives.
Speaking by telephone with FrontPage Africa on Wednesday, September 23, Redd said the process would extend beyond formal political structures, with consultations planned among current and former political leaders, local government officials, schoolmates, traditional authorities, women’s and youth organizations, farmers, religious communities and other stakeholders in Bong County and abroad.
He said the objective is to listen to residents before making a final decision.
“If consultation goes the way that will require me being on the ballot, I will be offering myself to the people of Jorquelleh District Three because I believe our district, because of its geopolitical location in the county and country, has enormous economic potential that can be fully translated into tangible opportunities for our people,” Redd said.
Redd’s potential candidacy would emerge in a constituency with a substantial electoral base. According to the National Elections Commission’s 2023 electoral-district data, Bong Electoral District Three had 41,840 registered voters, including 22,706 women and 19,134 men, across 19 voter-registration centers.
The constituency is geographically diverse. NEC records show that the district includes several wards of Gbarnga City as well as communities in Jorquelleh and Zota administrative areas.
The broader Jorquelleh administrative district is also one of Bong County’s most populous areas. Liberia’s 2022 National Population and Housing Census recorded 145,235 residents in Jorquelleh, including 73,394 females and 71,841 males.
Bong County as a whole had a population of 467,561 in the same census.
Those figures underscore the importance of local representation in a county where agriculture, small businesses, transportation, education and access to basic infrastructure remain central issues in community development.
Development as Central Theme
Redd said his interest in seeking office is rooted less in the prestige associated with political office and more in what he described as a desire to promote grassroots development.
“My interest is not simply about seeking a political position; it is about contributing to a process of grassroots transformation where ordinary citizens can see meaningful improvements in their communities,” he said.
He said a potential legislative agenda would focus on identifying community priorities and developing practical initiatives that could benefit young people, women, farmers, entrepreneurs and local communities.
Redd argued that the district has human and economic resources that could be better connected to markets, investment and employment opportunities.
“Jorquelleh District Three cannot depend indefinitely on the same challenges that have held back the progress of many rural communities,” he said.
“We have people with skills, farmers with the capacity to produce, young people with ideas and communities with resources, but these strengths must be connected to opportunities.”
His comments place agriculture and local economic activity at the center of his prospective platform, although he has not yet formally declared his candidacy or released a detailed policy program.
Asked about his political affiliation, Redd said he does not view himself as belonging exclusively to one political organization.
He said his support base cuts across party lines, citing relationships with supporters and members associated with the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Unity Party (UP) and Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).
Redd attributed those relationships to what he described as his professional conduct, personal relationships and relatively simple lifestyle.
His comments come against the backdrop of Liberia’s highly competitive multiparty political environment, where independent candidates and politicians operating outside traditional party structures have also played significant roles in recent elections.
For the 2023 elections, the NEC registered more than 2.47 million voters nationally, with 5,890 polling places across the country.
Redd brings a long career in broadcasting and public affairs to his potential political ambitions.
He served as the first wartime manager of Voice of Gbarnga, now Radio Gbarnga, in 1998, giving him an early connection to Bong County’s media landscape during Liberia’s civil conflict.
He later served at the Capitol Building for approximately 13 years, including as Director of Press of the House of Representatives, according to his account.
Redd said his years working around lawmakers exposed him to the challenges confronting constituents and gave him an understanding of how legislative representation can connect community demands with national policymaking.
“To me, leadership is not about occupying an office or carrying a title. Leadership is about accepting responsibility for the people who have entrusted you with their confidence,” he said.
“I believe a representative must be accessible, responsive and prepared to account for the decisions being made in the interest of the district.”
Redd’s interest in electoral politics is not entirely new. According to FrontPage Africa, speculation about a possible bid for the seat has existed since 2011.
His more recent political involvement included serving as a Project Officer and one of the lead voices during the 2020 Special Election campaign of Senator Prince Moye. Redd said he resigned from that role three years after Moye’s election.
The current representative for Bong Electoral District Three is J. Marvin Cole, who was elected in 2017 and retained the seat in 2023, according to available electoral records.
Redd, however, has not formally declared his candidacy.
His planned three-month consultation process is expected to determine whether he will proceed to the next stage of the political process.
He said traditional leaders would also play an important role in his consultations, describing their support as particularly significant because, in his words, they are “the custodians of power after God.”
For now, Redd says the decision will depend on the outcome of conversations with the people whose support he would ultimately seek.
“I want to contribute to a vision that encourages local economic activity, supports agriculture and creates pathways for young people to participate meaningfully in the economy,” he said.
