MONROVIA – The political climate in Liberia is heating up following the eviction and demolition of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) headquarters — a move CDC leadership has condemned as politically motivated, while the Unity Party (UP) has firmly denied any involvement, calling on CDC supporters to demand accountability from their own leadership. Even President Joseph Boakai dismissed the accusation against his party upon his return late Saturday evening back to the country having been away in Japan attend the TICAD #9.
In a strongly worded statement issued late Saturday, August 23rd, evening today, the Political Leader of CDC described the eviction as “unfortunate and regrettable,” blaming the Unity Party-led government under President Joseph Boakai for what he called a deliberate act of political intimidation and abuse of power.
“Today we witnessed yet another testament of the Unity Party government’s gross disregard for the rule of law,” former President George Weah, Political Leader of CDC, accused. “This was not a lawful eviction; it was a failed mission to destroy and erase the CDC in an attempt to fulfill the very wish Boakai has repeatedly expressed to his lieutenants.”
When the President was asked by journalists upon his return, he stated, “No politics, just the Law.” He defended the demolition stressing that “the law is the law.”
Weah and his CDC allege that despite an ongoing legal dispute over the ownership of the property, law enforcement—acting on instructions from the highest levels of government—moved to forcibly remove the party from its headquarters without exhausting all legal remedies.
Calling for calm among supporters, former President Weah emphasized that the party would rebuild and remain resilient, announcing the creation of a Special National Headquarters Delivery Committee to oversee the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility.
“We are survivors by history,” he said. “We shall prevail, and we will build again.”
Unity Party Denies Involvement, Urges CDC to Own Up
In response to the CDC’s allegations, Mohammed (Mo) Ali, a senior official of the Unity Party issued a statement rejecting any suggestion that the government played a role in the eviction, stating that the issue was purely CDC’s.
“CDC’s failures are CDC’s failures,” Ali declared. “The Unity Party had nothing to do with their eviction. We also understand that the property owner hired the bulldozer to demolish the structures because he did not want them on his land.”
He contrasted the CDC’s reaction to the Unity Party’s own experience at the end of 2020, when it vacated its headquarters following a rent dispute. “When it became evident that the parties were at an impasse, and the court ultimately ruled in favor of the McClains, our leadership convened and decided to relocate to a new headquarters,” the UP noted, emphasizing that UP quietly vacated the premises before an eviction order was served.
The Unity Party also raised questions about CDC’s stewardship over the past 20 years, specifically regarding numerous “Dollar rallies” that allegedly raised funds to purchase the now-lost headquarters.
“CDC supporters deserve clear accounting for how those contributions were used and why the promised purchase did not occur,” the statement read. “CDC partisans should not accept excuses in place of accountability.”
A Growing Political Flashpoint
The incident has quickly become a flashpoint in Liberia’s already tense political landscape. While CDC paints the eviction as a targeted act of political suppression, the Unity Party insists that the matter is rooted in a private legal dispute and financial mismanagement on CDC’s part.
As both sides trade accusations, the CDC leader has urged supporters not to resort to violence, stressing the need to respect the rule of law. “I must be clear: resist the temptation to take the law into your own hands,” Weah said.
The Unity Party, for its part, says the episode serves as a reminder for all political actors to prioritize transparency, responsibility, and institutional stability. As Weah and his partisans are crying “wolf”, President Boakai and his partisans are smiling them their opponents: “THE LAW IS THE LAW!”
