–Former Secretary General Says He Was Removed Without Explanation or Prior Conversation, Deepening Internal Tensions Within Alexander Cummings’ Party
MONROVIA, Liberia — Former Secretary General of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Cllr. J. Aloysius Toe, has resigned from the opposition party, days after accusing Political Leader Alexander B. Cummings of arbitrarily removing him from the party’s core leadership chatroom without prior notice, explanation or any known wrongdoing.
In a formal resignation letter dated September 6, 2026 and addressed to ANC National Chairman Cllr. Lafayette E. O. Gould, Cllr. Toe said his decision to leave the party was prompted directly by his removal from the ANC New Core Leaders chatroom on September 5.
The chatroom, according to Toe’s letter, serves as a platform for “current and former party leaders and eminent partisans.”
Toe said his removal occurred “without any cause or triggering event known to me, without explanation, and without the courtesy of prior conversation.”
“Under these circumstances, I can no longer continue my membership in the party,” Toe wrote, formally requesting that the ANC update its records to reflect his resignation.
The resignation is effective immediately.
Toe Calls Removal Arbitrary
The former ANC Secretary General’s letter does not identify a specific disagreement, disciplinary proceeding or internal party decision that preceded his removal.
Instead, Toe characterizes the action as arbitrary and says he was given no explanation for why he was removed from the leadership communication platform.
The wording of the letter suggests that Toe viewed the removal not simply as a technical change to a party communication channel, but as a decisive indication that his standing within the ANC had fundamentally changed.
His departure now brings into the open tensions that had reportedly been developing between the veteran opposition figure and the party leadership.
The ANC and Cummings had not publicly responded to Toe’s resignation or his account of the September 5 removal as of Wednesday.
LPRC Appointment Reportedly Strained Relations
According to sources familiar with the matter, relations between Toe and the ANC had become strained following his appointment by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to the Board of Directors of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC).
Toe’s position on the LPRC board is independently reflected in the corporation’s approved 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, which lists Hon. Cllr. J. Aloysius Toe as a member of the Board of Directors.
The LPRC board has responsibility for strategic oversight and governance of the state-owned petroleum company, including corporate policy, budgets and major development initiatives.
The precise nature of the reported disagreement between Toe’s government appointment and the ANC leadership has not been publicly explained.
Neither Toe’s resignation letter nor the available public statements establishes that his LPRC appointment was the direct reason for his removal from the ANC leadership chatroom.
That connection remains a matter reported by sources rather than an officially confirmed explanation from the party.
From Senior Party Official to Party Resignation
Toe’s resignation marks a significant break from a political relationship that once placed him among Cummings’ most visible and trusted senior party officials.
He served for years as Secretary General of the ANC and was a prominent public voice for the party during its opposition activities and its participation in the former Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
In that capacity, Toe frequently defended Cummings and the ANC against political attacks.
In 2019, for example, Toe publicly highlighted Cummings’ commitment to education while representing the ANC at a donation to Annur University in Monrovia.
Toe was also deeply involved in the CPP’s political and organizational affairs.
In 2022, he signed the revised CPP Framework Document alongside Cummings and other political leaders, reflecting his position at the center of the opposition coalition’s leadership structure at the time.
His role later placed him at the center of one of the most contentious political-legal disputes involving the CPP.
A History of Political and Legal Controversy
Toe and Cummings were among ANC officials who became defendants in a criminal case stemming from allegations by All Liberian Party Political Leader Benoni Urey that provisions of the CPP Framework Document had been altered.
The allegations led to charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy against Cummings, Toe and then-ANC Chairman Senator Daniel Naatehn.
Cummings and his colleagues denied wrongdoing and characterized the allegations as politically motivated. The dispute became one of the defining internal conflicts that contributed to the collapse of the original CPP arrangement.
Toe’s role during that period was particularly prominent. He publicly defended the ANC and rejected allegations that the party or Cummings had altered the CPP framework document.
The current rupture is therefore notable not only because Toe has resigned, but because it involves a figure who was previously closely associated with Cummings’ political leadership.
Toe’s Departure Comes as ANC Navigates a New Political Environment
The resignation also comes at a politically consequential period for the ANC and Cummings.
Liberia’s opposition landscape has been undergoing significant realignment since the 2023 presidential election, with political parties and figures positioning themselves ahead of the 2029 electoral cycle.
Cummings, who was the ANC’s presidential candidate in 2023, remains one of the country’s prominent opposition political figures.
The ANC has also experienced changes in its political environment since the election, including the movement of some opposition lawmakers and political figures between parties.
Against that backdrop, the departure of a former Secretary General and longtime senior partisan could raise questions about internal cohesion, leadership structures and the direction of the ANC as Liberia moves toward another major electoral contest.
What Triggered the Break?
Toe’s resignation letter is notably restrained in its language but unusually direct in its characterization of the event.
He does not accuse Cummings of corruption or misconduct. Instead, his complaint centers on the manner in which he says he was removed.
The key grievance is that there was no prior conversation, no explanation and no known cause.
That distinction could become important if the ANC eventually responds, because the party may seek to explain whether the removal was an administrative decision, a leadership restructuring, a disciplinary measure or part of a broader internal disagreement.
For now, the party has not publicly provided that explanation.
The absence of an official response leaves unanswered several questions: Why was Toe removed from the core leadership platform? Was the decision taken solely by Cummings or by another party structure? Was Toe given any opportunity to respond? And was his appointment to the LPRC board a factor in the decision?
None of those questions is answered in Toe’s resignation letter.
A Political Relationship Now Comes to an End
Toe’s resignation nevertheless makes one thing clear: his relationship with the ANC, at least in its present form, has reached a breaking point.
His letter formally ends his membership in the party he once helped build and publicly represented at the highest levels.
For Cummings and the ANC, the immediate challenge will be to explain the circumstances surrounding the departure of a former Secretary General whose name has been closely associated with the party for years.
For Toe, the decision represents a clean break.
“I can no longer continue my membership in the party,” he wrote.
The resignation now places the ANC under greater scrutiny over its internal leadership dynamics, particularly as Liberian political actors increasingly position themselves for the 2029 elections.
Whether the dispute ends with Toe’s departure or develops into a broader public confrontation between the former Secretary General and the ANC leadership remains to be seen.
For now, however, the facts are clear: Toe says he was removed from the ANC’s core leadership chatroom on September 5 without explanation; he submitted his resignation the following day; and the resignation took immediate effect.
The ANC and Cummings have yet to publicly present their side of the dispute.
Until they do, Toe’s resignation letter stands as the clearest public account of why one of the ANC’s longtime senior figures has chosen to walk away.
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