— Describes Groundbreaking Ceremony as Premature Amid Incomplete Negotiations
MONROVIA, Liberia — The opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) is facing fresh controversy over its plans to build a new national headquarters, after a landowner filed a lawsuit for alleged “criminal trespass” and other offenses at the Monrovia City Court.
The lawsuit comes just days before the CDC’s scheduled groundbreaking ceremony on October 18, 2025, for its proposed multi-million-dollar headquarters in Congo Town—a project the party has touted as a symbol of renewal following the demolition of its former base earlier this year.
According to Mr. Safee Edwardson, the owner of the disputed property, CDC officials expressed interest in purchasing two lots of land he owns in the Congo Town area, valued at over US$300,000. However, he claims that negotiations were still ongoing when the party unilaterally announced its groundbreaking event.
“They came to me expressing interest in buying the land, and I told them clearly that it was valued at over US$300,000,” Edwardson told a local broadcaster, Spoon TV Live. “But what disappointed me most is that they offered only US$5,000 to proceed with the groundbreaking and said we would discuss the rest later.”
Edwardson described the move as disrespectful and unlawful, arguing that no binding purchase agreement had been concluded to justify any public activity on his property. He has since sought legal recourse, filing a writ before the Monrovia City Court.
CDC’s Troubled History with Headquarters Property
The lawsuit comes on the heels of the August 2025 demolition of the CDC’s longtime headquarters in Congo Town, a site the party had occupied for nearly two decades. The demolition, carried out amid a longstanding property dispute, left Liberia’s largest opposition party without a political home for the first time in its history.
The ruling Unity Party (UP) government, led by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, defended the demolition as a legal eviction, while CDC leaders condemned it as a politically motivated act and an “attack on democracy.”
Former President George Weah, the CDC’s Standard Bearer, accused the Boakai administration of “gross disregard for the rule of law” and urged his supporters to remain peaceful while the party pursued legal redress.
CDC Announces New Headquarters Project
Despite the setback, the CDC announced plans on October 6 to construct a modern, multi-level national headquarters opposite the Greater Refuge Cathedral in Oldest Congo Town.
At the announcement ceremony, Rep. J. Fonati Koffa, Chair of the CDC Headquarters Construction Committee, said the new headquarters would symbolize “resilience, ownership, and renewal” for the party and its supporters.
“Out of the ashes of that destruction comes today a new beginning for our noble party,” Rep. Koffa declared.
The project, to be executed by MHD Engineering, will feature executive offices, a conference hall, and administrative facilities. CDC also announced plans to build headquarters in all 15 counties, starting with Grand Kru, Barclayville, and Sass Town.
Observers Question CDC’s Due Diligence
The latest lawsuit, however, has raised fresh questions about the CDC’s internal management and its ability to navigate property ownership issues responsibly.
Political analysts say the party should have learned from its previous eviction, which stemmed from years of unresolved rental arrears and ownership disputes.
“For the CDC to announce another groundbreaking before finalizing the land purchase shows poor judgment,” one political commentator noted. “It creates the impression that the party has not learned from its past mistakes.”
Analysts also warn that such recurring disputes over property risk undermining the CDC’s credibility and organizational maturity, especially as it seeks to project itself as a viable alternative to the ruling establishment.
For now, the Monrovia City Court is expected to hear the criminal trespass case in the coming days, even as preparations for the CDC’s highly publicized groundbreaking ceremony continue.
The unfolding episode underscores a broader challenge facing Liberian institutions—weak property governance and unclear land rights—issues that continue to complicate both public and private development efforts across the country.
