Published: February 25, 2026
MONROVIA / PHILADELPHIA — The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Congress for Democratic Change has suspended the entire interim leadership of its U.S. chapter, declared all parallel activities “illegal, null, and void,” and vested “all administrative, financial, and operational authority” in the 2026 National CDC-USA Convention Committee headed by Rev. Solomon Manneh Muin.
In a six-page resolution issued Feb. 24, 2026, the NEC said it convened in an emergency session on Feb. 22 following what it described as a “protracted administrative impasse affecting a major branch, the CDC-USA”.
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The resolution states that National Chairman Atty. Janga A. Kowo briefed the body that the current NEC “inherited a deeply entrenched intra-party dispute within CDC-USA” upon assuming stewardship of the party.
NEC Cites Constitutional Authority
The NEC anchored its actions in the party’s constitution, invoking Section 71c, which it said “gives the NEC the authority to supervise and direct the work of the CDC and all its organs, including National, Regional, International and Local Governance Structures”.
It also cited Part II, Chapter I Rule 19, which “gives the NEC the authority to ask any structure of the CDC to institute disciplinary proceedings and to set up appropriate structures to conduct disciplinary hearings into any matter brought to its attention”.
According to the resolution, the NEC initially declined to “adjudicate the matter with partiality but instead intervened to foster a harmonious and lasting resolution” and constituted a special Reconciliation Committee to restore normalcy.
That process led to the establishment of an Interim Leadership of National Unity for CDC-USA, mandated to conduct a National Convention within one year.
A “foundational condition” of that arrangement, the NEC said, was that “any individual accepting a position on the Interim Leadership body would be rendered ineligible to stand as a candidate in the ensuing 2026 CDC-USA elections”.
Allegations of Defiance and Parallel Convention
The NEC accused the interim leadership, chaired by Mr. Yahaya Talata Sheriff, of repeatedly refusing to submit an electoral calendar as directed and rebuffing written requests for dialogue
More pointedly, the resolution states that the Interim Leadership communicated to the NEC “a position that it does not recognize the authority of the National Executive Committee, asserting jurisdictional parity with the sovereign governing body of the Party in Liberia”
The NEC said it had earlier voted to indefinitely suspend Sheriff “for gross insubordination,” elevating Vice Chairman Donald Geelpay Todey as Acting Chairman
However, tensions escalated when the Muin-led Convention Committee formally petitioned the NEC on Feb. 18, alleging that members of the Interim Leadership were “actively working to undermine the Committee’s mandate,” “refusing to cooperate,” and “concurrently organizing a parallel, unauthorized convention in Minnesota in direct opposition to the sanctioned Philadelphia convention”.
The NEC characterized those actions as “a deliberate effort to fracture the party, mislead the membership, and bring the good name of the Congress for Democratic Change into public disrepute”.
Immediate Suspensions, Referral for Discipline
Citing Rule 14 and Article 19 Section 110 of the party’s constitution, the NEC ordered the “Immediate Suspension” of all CDC-USA activities under the current leadership
It declared that members of the Interim Leadership “are hereby suspended with immediate effect for gross insubordination, violation of party protocols, and conduct unbecoming of CDC’s branch”.
The suspended officials include:
- Mr. Yahaya Talata Sheriff, Chairman (previously suspended, reaffirmed)
- Mr. Donald Geelpay Todey, Acting Chairman
- Mrs. Vera Davis Okyne, Vice Chairperson for Operations
- Cubay Wilson, Vice Chair for Political Affairs
- Solomon B. Tardey, Vice Chairman for Finance
- Rufus Arkoi, Vice Chairperson/International Affairs
- Mr. Abraham A. Monobah, Secretary General
- Ms. Comfort M. Taye, Treasurer
- Charles Krogee, Elder Council
Two additional chapter chairmen — George Harris (Minnesota) and Zleh Totaye (Iowa) — were also suspended.
All suspended individuals were formally referred to the National Grievance and Ethics Committee “for further investigation and appropriate disciplinary proceedings.”
Muin Committee Declared Sole Legitimate Authority
In one of its most consequential directives, the NEC resolved that “All administrative, financial, and operational authority regarding CDC-USA is hereby vested in the National Convention Committee headed by Rev. Solomon M. Muin.”
It further declared that any parallel convention, including the proposed Minnesota gathering, is hereby declared illegal, null, and void, holding no standing within the structure of the Congress for Democratic Change.”
The NEC also issued a “Cease and Desist” warning to “any individual or group utilizing the official name, logos, or insignia of the CDC to promote unauthorized events.”
The Muin-led committee is empowered to manage all CDC-USA functions but “shall not disburse any funds related to the Convention without the express, prior written consent of the National Executive Committee (NEC)”.
The NEC cautioned the public and diaspora members “to refrain from conducting any business or engaging in any financial transactions with the aforementioned suspended individuals,” warning that “The Party shall not be held liable for the actions of these individuals.”
The resolution concluded with a political note, stating that the NEC remains “focused and resolute as we prepare to unseat the failed Unity Party government in 2029.”
Muin Calls for Calm and Unity
In a separate statement issued from Philadelphia, the CDC-USA Convention Committee confirmed that Rev. Solomon Manneh Muin “has been formally appointed as Officer-in-Charge of CDC-USA and reaffirmed as Chairman of the 2026 CDC-USA National Convention Committee.”
At what he described as a “pivotal moment” in the party’s journey, Muin urged members to “remain calm, exercise restraint, and reflect deeply on the responsibility before them.”
“This is not a time for division, confrontation, or speculation,” Muin said. “It is a time for sober reflection, disciplined engagement, and recommitment to the ideals that bind us together as members of the Congress for Democratic Change.”
He framed the upcoming June 2026 convention in Philadelphia as symbolically significant, calling the city “the birthplace of democracy in the United States.”
“The symbolism of convening in Philadelphia at this moment in our Party’s history is profound,” Muin said. “It reminds us that democracy is sustained not by conflict, but by dialogue; not by discord, but by unity of purpose; and not by personal interests, but by collective sacrifice.”
He pledged that the process leading to the convention would be “orderly, inclusive, and consistent with the Party’s Constitution and guiding principles,” adding that “The Convention must be a unifying platform that strengthens CDC-USA and reaffirms our loyalty to the Party and its political leadership.”
“Our collective conduct in this period will define the strength and maturity of CDC-USA in the diaspora,” Muin said, urging partisans to “set aside differences, respect constituted authority, and contribute constructively to the preparations for a peaceful, credible, and historic Convention.”
“Together, let us walk this path with calmness, unity, and renewed commitment to democratic change,” he added.
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