Liberia: CDC Moves to District 8 Office After Court-Ordered Eviction of Headquarters

MONROVIA -- Liberia's opposition Congress for Democratic Change has shifted its operations to its Montserrado District 8 office, naming it the party's temporary national headquarters days after a court-ordered demolition leveled its longtime base in Congo Town.

The move followed an Aug. 13 ruling by the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, which determined the CDC had no legal claim to the 4.23-acre Bernard's Beach property. The court awarded ownership to the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard and instructed the Montserrado County Sheriff to enforce the eviction.

CDC National Chairman Janga A. Kowo, in an Aug. 26 letter to National Elections Commission Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah, called the demolition unconstitutional. He argued the action violated Article 20 of the Liberian Constitution, which guarantees due process and the right to appeal, and cited Chapter 51 of the Civil Procedure Law, which bars enforcement while an appeal is pending.

"The demolition was clearly a violation of Article 20(A&B) of the Liberian Constitution," Kowo wrote. "It occurred while we still had an appeal pending in a case for specific performance regarding the purchase of the property."

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The demolition came ahead of the NEC's annual inspection of political party headquarters, which CDC officials warned could affect the party's legal standing as a registered political entity.

In response, CDC Standard Bearer and former President George Weah unveiled a 23-member National Headquarters Construction Committee. The body, composed of senior party officials, youth leaders and women's representatives, has been tasked with building a new headquarters within one year.

The NEC has not publicly commented on the CDC's concerns.

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