The Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) has sent a confusing and foggy signal amid talks for opposition unity ahead of the 2029 elections after it publicly descended on the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), describing the former administration of ex-President George Manneh Weah as a "bad government" that should not be allowed to return to power.
Weah has been leading efforts for the opposition community to jell on a common front, speak with one voice in an apparent move to hold the government accountable. The efforts which began early last month bore fruits on Sunday when five opposition political leaders appended signatures to a communique that binds them to unity.
But speaking at a major press conference in Monrovia, both the Political Leader of the CMC, Representative Musa Hassan Bility, and the Secretary General, Mr. Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh, distanced the party from any potential merger or collaboration with the CDC ahead of the 2029 general and presidential elections.
The strong-worded statements come amid intense speculation in Montserrado County that the CMC, which emerged as a third force in the 2023 elections, was in secret talks with the CDC to form a united opposition bloc against President Joseph Boakai's Unity Party government.
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Bility shut down those rumors in the bluntest terms, saying "What I would be unable to do in my politics is to be hypocritical. If all of us were saying yesterday that the CDC was a bad government and it should be replaced, how then can we sit in the same room now and close our eyes on the same bad things that we said about the CDC? We are not prepared to be part of those people. I think that is hypocritical."
Bility, who is also the Representative of Nimba County District #7 and a former Chairman of the Liberty Party, was a fierce critic of the Weah administration, accusing it of corruption, economic mismanagement, and failure to fight drugs. His party, CMC, campaigned in 2023 on a platform of "change" from both the CDC and the Unity Party.
His comments were reinforced by his Secretary General, who told the CDC to run on its own record if it believes it performed well.
"We didn't found the CMC to join other political parties just because we want power. Liberia is 179 years too old for this political joke. If you are sure that you did well for the Liberian people when you were in power, then no need to join forces to come back to power. Just proceed on your track records. Spare CMC this unwanted narrative," said Mr. Adihamu Shizo EQ Karneh, Secretary General of the CMC.
While the CMC's attack on the CDC was clear, political observers say the move has created more confusion than clarity, reinforcing the perception of Musa Bility as an unpredictable political actor, a man whose political direction is often described as "foggy."
For months, Bility has been seen as playing a double game -- at times attacking the Boakai government for its alleged failures on justice and corruption, while at other times being accused by Unity Party loyalists of secretly working with the CDC to destabilize the government.
Now, by attacking the CDC so publicly, Bility has also angered CDCians who had begun to see him as a potential ally.
A senior CDC official, who asked not to be named, told Verity Online News: "Bility is unpredictable. Today he is with us, tomorrow he is against us. Nobody knows where he stands."
Others see the CMC's move as a strategic positioning to remain independent and maintain its bargaining power. With 2029 still three years away, the CMC may be trying to avoid being swallowed by the larger CDC, while also keeping its options open.
"This is not about principle, it's about positioning. Bility knows that if he joins the CDC now, he becomes a small boy in their party. If he stays independent and attacks both UP and CDC, he remains a kingmaker," said a political analyst in Monrovia.
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As of press time, the Congress for Democratic Change had not issued an official response to the CMC's statements. However, sources within the CDC say the party's leadership was taken by surprise by the attack, especially given recent meetings between lower-level officials of both parties.
The CDC, which lost power in 2023 after six years, has been actively trying to build a broad opposition coalition to challenge President Boakai in 2029, arguing that the current government has failed on its promises.
The CMC's statement that the CDC should "run on your own track records" is seen as a direct challenge, daring the CDC to face the Liberian people alone without hiding behind a new coalition.
