Liberia: MDR Expels Nimba Sen. Samuel Kogar Over Criticism of Boakai Government

Published: August 31, 2026

MONROVIA — Nimba County Sen. Samuel G. Kogar lost his party membership Saturday for publicly attacking a government his own party helps run, a punishment he says the Unity Party-led administration engineered and that he intends to fight in court.

By Blamo N. Toe

The National Executive Committee of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) voted at the party’s Monrovia headquarters on Saturday, Aug. 29, to expel the senator. Thirty-three of the 37 executive committee members present voted to remove him.

MDR Chairman and Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah said the party acted because Kogar had positioned himself against an administration the MDR is part of.

“This party is in collaboration with the Unity Party. We are part of the government. You cannot be part of the government and sit and play opposition in the same government that you are a part of. Those are issues that we think were not in the best interest of our party,” Kruah said.

Kogar rejected the decision as it was being taken, saying in a statement on his official Facebook page that the ruling party had orchestrated it.

“I strongly believe that what is happening at the MDR Party Headquarters today is a government-backed effort to remove me from the party without due process,” he said.

The expulsion follows months of escalating criticism by Kogar of the government’s handling of governance, the rule of law and, most recently, the investigation into the country’s largest drug seizure, valued at more than US$317 million. Kogar has demanded that Liberia National Police Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman resign or be dismissed over allegations that police officers were involved in the case.

“If the Police Director of the Republic of Liberia, under his domain, his lieutenants can be involved into drug activities under his watchful eyes as a security and he’s being paid by the Liberian government, by the Liberian people to monitor every single activity in the police and nationwide to protect lives and properties and he cannot detect, he doesn’t deserve to be a police director; he needs to resign,” Kogar told an intellectual forum in Monrovia recently.

He has also accused the administration of selective justice, saying it is pursuing figures tied to the former government while protecting its own.

“This shows that the [UP] government is trying to shield those involved in the drug activities but rather trying to focus on the past regime because the past regime was dealing allegedly in drugs; it’s unfair,” he said.

“Joseph Boakai, Jr. is not above the law and if he’s accused of the same drugs, the police should invite the man and if he’s invited, the public must know about it, a statement must be issued,” Kogar said.

Kruah said the party received a formal complaint against Kogar and gave him due process, including a copy of the complaint and an opportunity to take part in the investigation. According to Kruah, Kogar initially submitted himself to the process but then sought repeated excuses and failed to appear when the matter was scheduled for further hearing. His lawyer also failed to appear, Kruah said.

“So, that was a waiver of their right to be heard,” he said.

“That’s why, at the end of it, the committee deliberated and came up with recommendations. Part of that recommendation was that Samuel G. Kogar should be expelled from the MDR,” Kruah said. “We went further to say that any asset or anything that has to do with the party in his possession should be returned to the party.”

Kruah said Kogar can no longer speak on behalf of the party.

“Anybody who contravenes the Constitution and bylaws of the party, that person will be dealt with in keeping with what the law says,” Kruah said. “Anything that tries to interfere with the relationship that we have with the Unity Party, if it contravenes our laws, we will not hesitate for the gavel to hit the table, just as it happened today.”

Immediately after the vote, Kruah ordered that Kogar’s photograph be taken down from the wall at party headquarters. The order was carried out.

Kogar drove past the headquarters before the decision and stopped opposite the building, according to accounts of the day. He remained inside his vehicle, photographed the proceedings from outside and left.

In his statement, Kogar said a heavy police presence at the headquarters raised serious concerns and gave the appearance of an attempt to intimidate and silence legitimate political expression protected under Liberian law. He called on the international community, citizens, the media and civil society organizations to monitor the dispute.

“Any action taken against me outside the proper legal and constitutional process will be challenged through the appropriate legal means,” he said. “I remain committed to peace, the rule of law, and the democratic process.”

His criticism of the government has fueled speculation that he could align with the opposition Congress for Democratic Change ahead of the 2029 presidential election. Kogar has not publicly confirmed any such arrangement.

As a representative for Nimba County District 5 and an executive of the People’s Unification Party, Kogar chaired the Majority Bloc that drove the removal of J. Fonati Koffa as speaker of the House of Representatives, pressing ahead through a contentious legal fight that ended with the election of Montserrado County District 11 Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon as speaker and Thomas Fallah as deputy speaker.

“The Court has gone beyond its bounds,” Kogar said at the time. “Liberians can be assured that the Judiciary will not stop the House from working. The court cannot dictate House leadership matters… The majority has decided to remove Fonati Koffa, and we will proceed with the Liberian people’s business on Tuesday.”