MONROVIA – Political parties in keeping with the Elections Laws of Liberia are required to have headquarters in the Capital city of the country with sub-offices in the political subdivisions if they want to operate in line with the laws of the land.
In the past and even up to date, political parties are established and centered around individuals instead of being institutionalized as an entity or organization.
The grand old True Whip Party (TWP) that ruled Liberia for 133 years is notably the only political party to have constructed its own headquarters in Monrovia styled E. J. Royle Building, named after Liberia’s fifth president Edward J. Royle.
The E.J. Royle building became iconic in the city of Monrovia as it hosted the TWP’s activities for decades until the military coup d’état of April 12, 1980, which dethroned the oligarchy of 133 years.
But even after the military junta of Samuel Kanyon Doe and cronies took over state power, the E. J. Royle Building despite being vandalized to some extent was used for public programs, including talent shows, wrestling matches, forums, meetings, among others. But after several battles in Monrovia during the country’s senseless 14-year civil war, the building became dilapidated and became just a memory.
During the presidency of former President Charles Taylor, now detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for committing crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone, his National Patriotic Party (NPP) also despite ruling the country with its president having authority over the country’s resources, the NPP was not able to construct its own headquarters. Up to now, the NPP is being hosted in the building owned by Charles Taylor’s first daughter, Zoe Taylor, who is said have leased the building to the NPP as its current headquarters. There is no public report of the NPP purchasing that building, adjacent the German Embassy in Congo Town, which once served as Taylor’s residence and later his daughter’s
When Taylor left pover and Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf assumed the presidency in 2005, the Unity Party also found itself not constructing its own headquarters for over 12 years it governed under the watch of President Sirleaf. It moved from a tight premises on Broad Street to a bigger building in Congo Town and stayed there to the end of President Sirleaf’s second term.
When President Joseph Boakai ascended to state power in 2024 months later, the owner of the building that housed the UP headquarters took legal action over unpaid arrears which eventually led to the UP leaving the building to move to a new headquarters on Snapper Hill, Broad Street in central Monrovia. It was during the chairmanship of Amin Modad, who it was reported personally led the financial campaign that paid for the UP newly rented headquarters on Broad Street.
UP to now, the UP having returned to state power has not initiated any construction of its own headquarters as far as the public is concerned. Political parties usually generate funds from donations, dues, but in the case of African governments, most ruling political parties are alleged to siphon state resources to fund their parties’ programs and agendas. There have been no public records to that effect in regards to political parties in Liberia being engaged in that venture, so in the end most times landlords or owners of buildings usually seek litigation to evict parties for unpaid rental fees.
Court Orders Police IG to Evict CDC
In recent time, the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government has come under several legal battles with owners of several buildings in Monrovia and its environments and in Grand Bassa and Maryland County respectively.
The situation has reached a boiling point where the civil law court had to order the eviction of the former ruling CDC from its Congo Town headquarters, owned by the late Martha Stubblefield Bernard.
The Civil Law Court on Monday, August 13, 2025, came to the rescue of the intestate estate of the late Martha Stubblefield Bernard, who had been struggling for the last 12 years to get their tenant, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), vacate a 4.23-acre area used as the party’s headquarters.
The court’s August 13 directive ordered Col. Gregory Coleman, Inspector General of Police, to assist with the eviction of the CDC.
The court’s directive, dated August 13, states, “By directive of His Honor George W. Smith, Assigned Circuit Judge, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, Montserrado County, sitting in its June Term AD 2025, you are hereby requested to kindly assist this Court with some armed police officers for the execution of a writ of possession. In an action of summary proceedings to recover possession of real property.”
Judge Smith’s directive did not specify a particular date when the execution of the writ of possession would commence.
The order was passed on an action of summary proceedings to recover possession of real property filed by the Intestate Estate of the late Martha Stubblefield Bernard against the political party, the CDC.
The judge pointed out that although there was a legitimate sale and purchase agreement between the CDC and the administrators of the Bernard estate, the agreement did not establish CDC as the rightful owner of the land, affirming the Bernard family’s claim to legal ownership.
It would be recalled that the Supreme Court recently reaffirmed its 2016 judgment authorizing the eviction of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) from its Congo Town Headquarters.
The court took the unanimous decision on Wednesday, May 28th, when they denied the Bill of Information filed by CDC against the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard, who the high court has ruled owns the property.
The CDC had filed the Bill of Information in 2016, claiming the 4.23 acres of land that host its headquarters belonged to the Intestate Estate of Danielle P. Tucker Bernard and not the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard.
The move by then stalled the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s September 2016 ruling confirming the lower court’s eviction mandate against the Party.
The lower court had also awarded the Stubblefield Bernard Estate damages of US$50,000 and rental arrears of US$36,000, which the Party settled.
The Supreme Court’s eviction mandate, however, remained unenforced until the CDC came to power in 2018.
In 2024, the Intestate Estate retained the legal services of J. Johnny Momoh and Associates Legal Chamber and sought to enforce the court mandate.
In response, the CDC sought to avoid eviction by promptly initiating negotiations with the Martha Stubblefield Bernard’s Intestate Estate to purchase the portion of the property it occupies. The Intestate Estate, in turn, demanded a settlement of the court bill of cost and rental arrears for the period 2018-2023. The CDC complied and continued occupying the property while the purchase negotiation was ongoing.
But the party, then, stalled the purchase negotiation stating that a third party, the Intestate Estate of Danielle P. Tucker Bernard lay claim to the same property by an action of ejectment against both the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard and the Intestate Estate of William Thomas Bernard.
The CDC therefore requested a yearly tenancy payment agreement until the Court could determine the property’s rightful owner. The Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard rejected that request and pursued the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgement to evict the CDC.
The Bill of Information — effectively claiming that Martha Stubblefield Bernard never owned the property and that, thus, her Interstate Estate has no right to evict the tenants thereof — was the CDC’s last-ditch attempt to hold its ground.
But the Supreme Court says it fails to see the bill’s relevance, when CDC itself has no legal title in the property.
“What the court gathered from the bill of Information is that the CDC are attempting to circumvent its removal from the property by the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard, while the case between the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard and the Intestate Estate of Danielle P. Tucker Bernard plays out,” the high court ruled.
The ruling went further: “If anyone is attempting to obstruct the [court’s] judgment, it is the CDC by filing the bill of Information, and, attempting to circumvent the ownership of the property, whom this court has opined is the owner of the property.”
According to the judgment, the CDC’s bid to purchase cannot hinge on an appeal. And even if a ruling on appeal came down in favor of the Intestate Estate of Danielle P. Tucker, “This court leaves the CDC with no option but to deal with the prevailing party under a new arrangement, since presenting the title as per the Supreme Court’s ruling is vested in the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard.”
Also, in Montserrado County Electoral District #16, that has a CDC lawmaker as Representative in person of Dixon W. Seboe, was also evicted from his sub-office in the district.
In Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, the CDC was asked to leave its office in the country due to unpaid rent. According to owner of the building, the CDC failed to settle its obligation and during their six years in power all they got from them was promises that they would pay the rental fees but it never did. So, in the end, the CDC was evicted and the property has been put up for lease by the owners.
The latest eviction wahala the CDC is involved in is with its County Office in Maryland County where again the issue of rental obligation came to light with the party refusing to pay the owner of the property. The owner of the property told the media recently that when the CDC was in state power, they abuse power by refusing to settle their rental obligation, and they the owners of those properties could do little or nothing to them since they had state power.
But with a new government in power, the owners of the building were able to utilize the legal proceedings to regain their properties from the former ruling party – CDC – which was headed by former international football icon, George Weah.
Why is Eviction Wahala Keeps Following the CDC?
According to political pundits, the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), may have relied on being in authority to refuse to settle rental fees and arrears for buildings they had leased or rented to house their respective headquarters and offices in the counties.
These pundits argue most times in the African governance setting, political parties that are ruling tend to abuse public office by disrespecting and ignoring people who they do business with or want to do business with. According to them, this may have been the case of the CDC, who through all their time of governance were bent on the notion of remaining in state power for 24 years.
How could they care to pay rental fees neither could even think about constructing their own headquarters, because all that was in their minds was to remain in state power for 24 years, so they disregarded any property owner who came before them for rental fees for the buildings they were renting or leased to use as their headquarters and offices. The CDC knew these landlords of property owners could not go after them and win them in court because as governing party they had total control of everything.
Weah Unveils CDC New HQ Blueprint After Supreme Court Setback
It seems the former ruling CDC is trying to save itself from future embarrassment were it to return to state power or not as its political leader and former President George Weah has unveil a blueprint of a building it says will be constructed to house his party as its new headquarters.
Barely hours after the Civil Law Court ordered the eviction of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) from its rented headquarters along Tubman Boulevard, the party’s political leader, former President George M. Weah, has unveiled plans for a new headquarters, rallying supporters amid the legal setback.
A writ of possession issued by the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court, Montserrado County, on August 13, instructed the Sheriff of Montserrado County to immediately remove the CDC from the 4.23-acre property belonging to the Intestate Estate of the late Martha Stubblefield Bernard. The order was based on a ruling handed down by Assigned Circuit Judge George W. Smith on August 4, which placed the estate’s administrator, Ebrima Varney Dempster, in full possession of the disputed land.
The court has also written to Liberia National Police Inspector General Col. Gregory O.W. Coleman, requesting police deployment to ensure a smooth execution of the eviction.
The eviction marks another legal blow to the former ruling party, which has faced several property disputes in recent years. The roots of the conflict date back to 2016, when the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled that the Bernard Estate rightfully owned the land and should be placed in possession. The CDC has contested that ruling for years.
Following the eviction order, Weah took onto social media on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, evening to share a blueprint of a proposed new CDC headquarters and delivered a passionate message to party members. “We have more danger to deal with than correcting speeches,” Weah wrote. “Let us all agree together to show to the Liberian people that the CDC belongs to them.”
Mr. Weah assured supporters that the party remains “mighty, loyal, and faithful to the people’s struggle,” vowing that CDC would “never be defeated.” “We are here to stay. Strong we will always be, because nothing will separate us. It’s a national struggle, and we must continue to fight no matter what. Power to the people,” he averred.
In a follow-up WhatsApp status, Mr. Weah showcased a blueprint of the party’s proposed new headquarters, captioning it: “We are ready to prove our might. The mighty Coalition for Democratic Change new building design.”
The CDC political leader’s response has been met with mixed reactions on social media. Many CDC supporters praised his leadership and vision.
One supporter posted: “Immediately I saw this phrase from the former president; I knew that something was in the making: ‘We are about to build our new home.’”
Another remarked: “That’s why I proudly call him my visionary leader—a man whose foresight, wisdom, and unwavering commitment continue to inspire and guide us toward a brighter future.”
While the eviction marks a major setback, the CDC’s leadership has pledged to turn the challenge into an opportunity. With the unveiling of plans for a new headquarters, the party appears poised to move forward despite the ongoing legal and logistical hurdles.
However, critics of the former ruling CDC say the party is noted for showcasing blueprints of projects but most times fail to get them off the grounds, citing example of the Bali Island project along the Mesurado River, the Cake Plane project that never materialized into Lone Star Airways, among others. But observers are watching with eagle eyes what will unfold in the coming years as the former ruling CDC recalibrates and try to erect its own headquarters to put the ever-troublesome eviction wahala behind them for good.
