By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA – The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law while denouncing what it describes as judicial irregularities in an ongoing legal battle over its national headquarters.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 14, 2025, and signed by National Chairman Atty. Janga A. Kowo, the former ruling party recounted its year-long negotiations to purchase the property that has housed its headquarters for more than two decades. The CDC said these talks culminated in a Right of First Refusal offer in 2024, which the party accepted.
The party claims that when it sought to conduct due diligence on the property, the landlord reacted with hostility, attempting an “illegal eviction” through the Civil Law Court. The CDC challenged this move at the Supreme Court, which ruled in May 2025 in its favor, affirming its legal tenancy under the Intestate Estate of the late Martha Stubblefield Bernard, represented by Ebrima Varney Dempster.
Despite the ruling, the CDC says the Estate issued a one-week eviction notice on June 2, 2025, violating what the party insists is a binding offer-and-acceptance agreement. The party filed a suit for Specific Performance at the Civil Law Court to compel the sale, but Presiding Judge George W. Smith dismissed the case without a hearing on the merits. The same court, the CDC added, entertained a summary proceeding for property recovery while the main case was pending, an action the party says contravenes Section 11.2.1(d) of Liberia’s Civil Procedure Law.
The CDC’s subsequent legal challenges, including a Motion to Dismiss and a Writ of Certiorari, were denied. The party described these decisions as “serial denials without due consideration of legal merits,” calling them an abuse of judicial discretion that undermines Liberia’s democratic stability.
The CDC also raised concern over Judge Smith’s directive for the Liberian National Police, rather than the court sheriff, to enforce what it says should be a civil property matter, warning that such an order raises questions about impartiality.
While appealing both the Specific Performance and Summary Proceedings cases to the Supreme Court, the CDC has urged its supporters to remain calm and law-abiding. The party says it is also preparing for an orderly transition to a new headquarters if necessary.
A letter dated August 8, 2024, from J. Johnny Momoh & Associates, representing the Estate, set the purchase price for the 4.23-acre property at US$4.2 million cash, while noting interest from other prospective buyers, including church institutions, one of which had an agreement for US$2.5 million. The letter reaffirmed the CDC’s first right of refusal but warned that the party could be evicted under a Supreme Court order.
The CDC maintains that its legal rights must be upheld and insists it will pursue every lawful remedy to protect its interest in the property it has called home for over 20 years.
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