MONROVIA — Liberia’s main opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), has moved its operations to its Montserrado District 8 office, designating it as the party’s temporary national headquarters. This move comes days after a court-ordered demolition leveled its long-standing headquarters in Congo Town.
The eviction was a result of an August 13 ruling by the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, which found that the CDC had no legal claim to the 4.23-acre Bernard’s Beach property. The court awarded ownership to the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard and ordered the Montserrado County Sheriff to enforce the eviction.
In an August 26 letter to National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah, CDC National Chairman Janga A. Kowo called the demolition unconstitutional. He argued the action violated Article 20 of the Liberian Constitution, which guarantees due process and the right to appeal. He also cited Chapter 51 of the Civil Procedure Law, which prohibits the enforcement of a judgment while an appeal is pending.
“The demolition was clearly a violation of Article 20(A&B) of the Liberian Constitution,” Kowo wrote. “It occurred while we still had an appeal pending in a case for specific performance regarding the purchase of the property.”
The demolition took place just before the NEC’s annual inspection of political party headquarters. CDC officials had warned that the absence of a permanent headquarters could affect the party’s legal status as a registered political entity.
In response, CDC Standard Bearer and former President George Weah unveiled a 23-member National Headquarters Construction Committee. This body, composed of senior party officials, youth leaders, and women’s representatives, has been tasked with building a new headquarters within one year.
