By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA – The Liberia National Police (LNP) has announced that it will begin enforcing a court-ordered eviction of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) from its Congo Town headquarters on Saturday, August 23, 2025, following a mandate from the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Liberia.
In a press release issued Friday, the LNP reaffirmed its neutrality and commitment to the rule of law, stressing that its intervention is strictly to uphold the court’s writ of possession. “As a professional institution, our role is constitutional, to preserve peace, protect lives, and ensure that the decisions of our courts are carried out without fear or favor,” the police statement said. The LNP urged the CDC to respect the authority of the courts, calling such compliance a “demonstration of leadership and commitment to our democracy.”
The police also appealed to CDC partisans and the general public to remain peaceful, reminding citizens that “peace is our collective responsibility” and that Liberia’s hard-won stability must not be jeopardized by political disputes. The release further disclosed that due to the enforcement exercise, traffic would be diverted onto Old Road via Nigeria House and around the Car Wash area on Saturday.
But the CDC, led by National Chairman Atty. Janga Augustus Kowo, has rejected the government’s stance, insisting that the matter remains a civil dispute still under litigation. Addressing a press conference Friday at the party’s headquarters, Kowo accused the government of intimidation, revealing that the party’s legal team had already filed an appeal before the Supreme Court against the Civil Law Court’s decision.
“The CDC will not be intimidated by the government or any of its agencies,” Kowo said. “We encourage all partisans to turn out in their numbers for a mass meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. The CDC holds the government fully responsible for the safety and security of its partisans and assets.”
Kowo stressed that the party respects the rule of law but will not accept what he termed as bullying. “We respect the rule of law, but we will not be bullied into silence,” he declared, insisting that the dispute is far from final adjudication.
The standoff has heightened tensions ahead of Saturday, with jubilant CDC supporters vowing to remain at the headquarters overnight in anticipation of the eviction order. Many pledged loyalty to the party and readiness to resist what they view as political harassment.
The situation sets the stage for a potentially volatile confrontation between law enforcement and one of Liberia’s most prominent political institutions, as both sides appear determined to stand their ground.
Like this:
Like Loading…
