Published: August 22, 2025
MONROVIA — Liberia’s police are preparing for a tense standoff on Saturday as they set to enforce a court order evicting the former ruling Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) from its longtime headquarters.
On Aug. 13, the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court awarded possession of the 4.23-acre compound near Bernard’s Beach to the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard, represented by administrator Ebrima Varney Dempster. The estate successfully argued that the CDC, which governed Liberia under former President George Weah from 2018 to 2024, had no legal claim to the land.
Judge George W. Smith ruled in favor of the estate after examining deeds and property boundaries and directed the Montserrado County Sheriff to carry out the eviction. The Liberia National Police (LNP) confirmed on Friday that it will enforce the court’s order, emphasizing its role is to uphold the law while keeping the peace.
“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 LNP said in a statement, while appealing to CDC partisans to remain peaceful.
But inside the CDC, defiance is increasing. Party Chairman Janga Augustus Kowo on Friday called for a large gathering at the headquarters on the very day the police are expected to move in.
“This gathering is not an ordinary one,” Kowo told supporters, declaring that “the CDC cannot and will not die.” He urged members across Montserrado County to rally at the property.
It’s uncertain whether the police will let them onto the premises Saturday. Many think the move could lead to a standoff between police and party supporters.
“The enforcement of this eviction is a test of Liberia’s rule of law,” said a Monrovia-based political observer. “But it’s also a test of restraint for the police, for the CDC leadership, and for ordinary partisans tempted to resist.”
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