MONROVIA, Liberia – Barely 24 hours after the Liberia Political Centrism Movement (LPCM) publicly pledged issue‑based support to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., one of its senior officials has abruptly resigned, accusing the group of drifting toward “praise‑singing” and abandoning its original centrist ideals.
James Koryor, who served as Head of Secretariat for the Liberia Political Centrism Diaspora Network, tendered his resignation in a letter addressed to Executive Chairman Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala and circulated on social media on Sunday.
“Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from the Liberia Political Centrism Movement,” Koryor wrote. “Over time, it has become clear that the Movement has deviated from the balanced, moderate, and people‑centered principles that once defined its purpose.”
He added bluntly in a separate caption promoting the letter:
“We did not sign up to join the Choir for Praise‑Singing…. We have parted ways with The Liberia Political Centrism Movement.”
From “Country‑First” Platform to Internal Dissent
The resignation comes just a day after Kanio Gbala led an LPCM delegation to the Executive Mansion, where the group symbolically inducted President Boakai as a member by presenting him with a movement T‑shirt and cap.
During that meeting, broadcast live by presidential media, Gbala and other members pledged “undying support” for the Boakai administration, saying they would support “the good things” the government is doing while advocating for unity and less toxic politics.
The event drew attention partly because many LPCM members, including Gbala, are CDC stalwarts, making their visible embrace of Boakai politically significant.
Koryor’s resignation now signals that not everyone inside the movement is comfortable with the direction that high‑profile engagement has taken.
“This shift has created a noticeable gap between the Movement’s current stance and the political values I believe are essential for credible national leadership,” he wrote. “As these changes no longer align with my convictions, I must step aside in good faith.”
“Balanced, Moderate, People‑Centered” vs. Perceived Alignment
At its launch, the Centrism Movement branded itself as a “balanced, moderate, people‑centered” platform that would rise above party politics, support government policies that advance the national interest, and constructively criticize those that do not.
Koryor suggests that balance has been lost.
While his letter does not explicitly mention the Boakai meeting, the timing—and his reference to a gap between original principles and the movement’s “current stance”—strongly implies discomfort with what critics have already begun to call a slide toward pro‑government cheerleading.
“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have served, especially in my role as Head of Secretariat for the Liberia Political Centrism Diaspora Network, and I hope the Movement will one day return to its founding ideals,” Koryor concluded.
Questions for Kanio’s Centrism Project
The sudden resignation raises uncomfortable questions for Cllr. Gbala and his colleagues:
- Can the Centrism Movement maintain its claim to be independent and issue‑based while openly inducting the President as a member and lavishing “undying support” on his administration?
- Is the group drifting into the familiar pattern of “movements” that begin as watchdogs and end as auxiliaries of the sitting government?
- How will other diaspora and local members react to Koryor’s public break?
As of press time, LPCM leaders had not issued a formal response to the resignation.
A Warning Shot to New “Country‑First” Projects
Politically, the episode illustrates the tightrope that new “country‑first” movements must walk in Liberia’s polarized environment.
On one hand, LPCM’s visit to President Boakai was hailed by supporters as a mature step—former CDC affiliates acknowledging a new administration and offering to support a shared national agenda.
On the other, Koryor’s critique taps into a deeper skepticism among many Liberians about elite political re‑alignment: that today’s centrists and reformers may quickly become tomorrow’s praise‑singers once they move closer to the center of power.
By declaring, “We did not sign up to join the Choir for Praise‑Singing,” Koryor is effectively warning that credibility in the centrist space depends on visible independence—not just in rhetoric, but in choices about when to applaud and when to dissent.
Whether his resignation triggers broader internal debate—or is dismissed as an isolated act—will likely shape how seriously the Liberia Political Centrism Movement is taken going forward, both by the Boakai government and by the wider public it claims to represent.
Mamdani’s strategy is to build from the ground up, not the top down. — New York City
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