LP Was Not Established to Endorse Others

GRAND BASSA COUNTY, Liberia, October 4, 2026 — Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon says the Liberty Party (LP) was not established merely to endorse other political parties and candidates for the presidency, declaring that the party intends to strengthen itself and play a greater role in Liberia’s future political leadership.

Dillon, LP Vice Chairman for Political Affairs, made the statement over the weekend at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the party’s headquarters in Grand Bassa County, where Political Leader and Senate President Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence also announced a nationwide rebranding and membership drive.

Although LP supported the Unity Party during the 2023 presidential election and remains politically aligned with the ruling establishment, Dillon said the party must preserve its own identity and prepare for a time when it can seek national leadership.

“This party was not established to be endorsing every year,” Dillon told supporters. “The time is coming when this party will govern this country and change it.”

He said achieving that ambition would require LP members to remain united, committed to the party and financially supportive through the payment of dues.

Dillon said he generally prefers not to focus prematurely on the 2029 presidential and legislative elections, but argued that the construction of a permanent party headquarters should demonstrate that LP intends to remain a significant political institution.

He also praised Karnga-Lawrence’s leadership of the Liberian Senate, pointing to her ability to preside over a chamber overwhelmingly dominated by male senators from different political parties.

“Nyonblee, I am not calling you President Pro Tempore; I am calling you political leader of the LP,” Dillon said.

He described her as a leader of “grace, courage, strength and resilience,” arguing that her leadership of the Senate demonstrates her ability to manage people with competing political interests.

According to Dillon, senators from the Unity Party, Congress for Democratic Change, other political parties and the independent bloc have operated under Karnga-Lawrence’s leadership without major public leadership disputes.

“For now, it is about the country. Let us remain united as partisans and hold our party together,” he said.

Dillon also rejected suggestions that LP and other smaller political parties are merely supporting players in Liberia’s political system.

“As Vice Chairman for Political Affairs, LP is not a helping verb,” he declared.

He said LP would determine its political direction for 2029 at the appropriate time and would participate in future political discussions as a partner rather than simply attaching itself to another party.

“In 2029, when we are on that table, we all will be there as collaborating partners. But when the time comes, we will do it,” Dillon said.

His comments come amid increasing political positioning ahead of the 2029 elections, although the Liberty Party has not formally announced a presidential candidate or declared that it will contest the presidency independently.

Dillon said the proposed LP headquarters is expected to cost about US$400,000, with party officials hoping to complete the project within a year.

He said the facility would serve purposes beyond politics, including programs aimed at empowering citizens.

“We look forward to doing this project in one year,” he said. “The building of this headquarters will cost us about four hundred thousand. It will not just be for politics, but empowerment.”

For her part, Karnga-Lawrence said the groundbreaking forms part of a broader effort to rebrand and restructure the Liberty Party in Grand Bassa and across Liberia.

She said the party intends to move beyond its previous standing as Liberia’s third-largest political party and expand its organizational structure and membership nationwide.

“In our rebranding process, we are restructuring, and we have done that in many counties,” Karnga-Lawrence said.

She disclosed that more than 500 local party leaders had gathered as part of the restructuring exercise in Grand Bassa and said LP was also working to bring back former members who had become discouraged or dissatisfied with the party’s direction.

“We are not only rebranding; we are bringing back all of our old partisans who were discouraged or not happy with the way the party was proceeding in the past,” she said.

Karnga-Lawrence announced that LP would begin a recruitment and membership drive in Grand Bassa on Monday, October 5, as part of efforts to rebuild its grassroots political organization.

She also highlighted the party’s initiatives involving women’s empowerment, savings programs, youth development and scholarships, arguing that those programs demonstrate what LP could accomplish if given greater opportunity to govern.

Karnga-Lawrence also stressed party loyalty, telling supporters in Grand Bassa that unity and discipline would be critical to LP’s future.

“Today, we are also here to talk about loyalty,” she said. “In this county, even if LP does not win the presidency, nobody wins us here.”

She urged supporters to respect the party’s decisions and political direction while working to strengthen its base.

“If you believe in your leader and party, you will listen to their direction. If we speak, you follow. This is what loyalty is about,” Karnga-Lawrence said.

She cited her rise to Senate President Pro Tempore as an example of what she described as commitment, loyalty and consistency.

“Today, I am Pro-Tem because of my commitment, loyalty and consistency,” she concluded.