Published: May 1, 2025
MONROVIA – The National Executive Committee of the CDC Council of Patriots (CDC-CoP) has called for the immediate resignation of Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, president of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), accusing him of issuing a politically motivated statement intended to discredit and undermine the Supreme Court.
In a statement issued Wednesday, April 30, CDC-CoP National Chairman Foday N. Massaquoi alleged that Cllr. Varmah’s remarks violated Articles 2 and 76(a)(5) of the 1986 Constitution, rendering him unfit to continue leading the country’s highest legal association.
The demand comes in response to a recent press conference held by Cllr. Varmah on Monday, April 28, during which he sharply criticized the Supreme Court for its April 23 ruling on an amended bill of information filed by embattled House Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa. Varmah argued that the Court’s decision effectively endorsed a national budget passed through a constitutionally disputed legislative session, which he said violated both the Constitution and the principle of separation of powers.
“We are calling on the Executive Committee of the Bar Association to compel him to resign, or else he should be impeached for bringing the institution into public disrepute,” the CDC-CoP statement read. “Let it be known that every sector of our country is currently experiencing chronic crises.”
Massaquoi accused Varmah of placing political loyalty above legal integrity, thus compromising the independence of an institution traditionally seen as a safeguard for democracy. He cited Article 2 of the Constitution, which establishes the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and grants the Supreme Court authority to nullify laws deemed unconstitutional.
“Any public statement that seeks to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court constitutes gross insubordination and disrespect,” Massaquoi said.
He also pointed to Article 76(a)(5), which defines attempts to subvert the Constitution—by force or otherwise—as acts of treason. “Cllr. Varmah’s attempt to discredit a lawful ruling of the Supreme Court amounts to a treasonable offense,” Massaquoi claimed.
The CDC-CoP chairman further accused the LNBA president of betraying the legal profession, his professional training, and the nation at large for political purposes. He alleged that Varmah’s statement was part of a broader agenda by the ruling Unity Party, led by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung, to weaken the judiciary.
“The Supreme Court’s April 23 ruling is binding under Articles 2 and 66 of the Constitution, but Mr. Boakai and the Unity Party have failed to enforce it,” Massaquoi said. “This defiance has plunged the country into a constitutional crisis with the potential to rekindle the dark days of lawlessness.”
He also warned Liberia’s international partners that the Boakai-Koung administration has “weaponized” itself against the judiciary by allegedly bribing partisans to defy the Court and advance what he called legislative “gangsterism” financed by the ruling party.
“This is a dangerous recipe for national disorder, and we condemn it in the strongest terms,” he added.
The CDC-CoP said it had shared copies of its statement with international stakeholders, including the United Nations Human Rights Office, the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, the European Union, the U.S. State Department, the Bureau of African Affairs, ECOWAS, the African Union, and the British Embassy in Monrovia.
The group concluded by reaffirming its commitment to upholding the rule of law and defending the Constitution.
“Together, we will protect the state,” the statement declared.
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