The Chairman of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Janga A. Kowo is questioning the procedure by the Civil Law Court to evict the party from its headquarters in Congo Town. He says it is unnecessary for the court to order the Liberia National Police (LNP) to carry out the eviction of their headquarters rather than using the sheriff to do so.
Kowo frowns that such a procedure raises serious concerns about judicial impartiality, which he thinks is a potential prejudice against CDC. On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, the Civil Law Court ordered the Inspector General of Police, Gregory O.W. Coleman, to provide armed police officers as backup to court officers in the eviction of CDC Headquarters in Congo Town.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, August 14, 2025, Chairman Kowo disclosed that the party is making arrangements for an orderly transition to a new headquarters if its legal options have been exhausted. He said the party is working on a lawful resolution on the matter at the Supreme Court but encourages all partisans to remain calm and patient.
He explained that CDC has been using the property for the past 20 years and has served as its administrative hub and political rallying point. Chairman Kowo told reporters that the party had already exercised its right of first to purchase the property, adding that the Intestate Estate of Martha Stubblefield Bernard accepted, when the court abruptly ordered the party’s eviction.
Kowo also stated that the party formally notified the estate of its readiness to complete the transaction with estate representatives, including Michael Sobatifina, before the dispute escalated. According to him, the party then filed a suit for specific performance at the Civil Law Court to seek judicial enforcement of the sale and while that case was pending, the court simultaneously entertained a summary proceeding for property recovery; an approach the party argues violates Section 2.1 of Liberia’s Civil Procedure Law on case pendency.
“Judge George W. Smith dismissed the specific performance suit without addressing its merits, prompting the CDC to appeal both matters to the Supreme Court. The party is also seeking a stay of enforcement,” he disclosed. He said the party is not the Unity Party (UP) that spent 12 years in power and couldn’t purchase or build a headquarters for itself.
Minutes after Kowo threw a jab at the UP, Grand Cape Mount Senator Dabah Vapilah said Chairman Kowo should stop looking for comfort in their misery because the Unity Party is too mature to be evicted. Senator Vapilah added that they didn’t agree with the terms of their landlord; therefore, the UP respectfully relocated.
