By Socrates Smythe Saywon | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Congress for Democratic Change has launched a fierce political attack against the administration of Joseph Boakai, warning that Liberia is drifting toward instability, economic hardship, and what the opposition party dramatically described as a possible “Mogadishu moment” if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
In a lengthy statement issued Thursday, May 14, 2026, on behalf of the party’s National Executive Committee, Janga A. Kowo accused the Boakai-Koung administration of presiding over what he described as growing political intolerance, institutional breakdown, worsening economic hardship, and the alleged use of state institutions to target opposition figures.
The statement, released as the CDC announced preparations for its annual Militant Month celebration in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, painted a grim picture of the country’s direction under the Unity Party-led government. According to Kowo, the CDC’s earlier warnings about governance failures under the Boakai administration are now becoming reality.
“The CDC once more gives voice to its long-standing prophecy of peril,” Kowo declared. “The hand of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is not guiding the nation, but drawing it toward anarchy and the slow collapse of the state.”
The opposition party said this year’s Militant Month activities, scheduled from June 23 to June 27 in Zwedru, will not only commemorate the CDC’s 22 years of political existence but also serve as a platform to renew the party’s democratic struggle and reconnect with supporters across Liberia.
Party leaders described the upcoming gathering as a “historic and disciplined celebration” intended to strengthen solidarity among militants and reignite the movement’s political momentum ahead of future national battles. The CDC also announced the establishment of a Central Planning Committee and a Grand Gedeh County Subcommittee to oversee logistics, mobilization, publicity, and programming for the event.
But beyond the celebration plans, the CDC used the occasion to sharply criticize the government’s handling of recent corruption-related prosecutions involving former officials of ex-President George Weah’s administration.
The party accused the Unity Party government of conducting what it called a politically motivated campaign aimed at tarnishing the image of former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. and other former CDC officials through repeated allegations and prosecutions.
According to the CDC statement, the recent acquittal of Tweah and others represented what the party described as the collapse of the Unity Party’s “campaign of lies.” Kowo further alleged that the government attempted to influence jurors in the high-profile case through bribery claims involving US$275,000 allegedly linked to Amos Tweh, though no evidence was publicly presented in the statement.
“The objective was clear: to create a public spectacle, damage reputations, and convince Liberians that allegations alone were equivalent to guilt,” the CDC asserted. “But jurors rejected UP’s campaign of lies.”
The opposition party also alleged that following the acquittals, the government has intensified efforts to target additional former CDC officials, including former Acting Justice Minister Nyenati Tuan, former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh, former FIA boss Stanley S. Ford, former Commerce Minister Mawine Diggs, and former Deputy Finance Minister Samora P. Z. Wolokollie.
In one of the statement’s most striking sections, the CDC warned that it could adopt what it described as a “non-compliance posture” if the government continues what the party sees as politically motivated actions against its officials and supporters.
Kowo said the CDC is increasingly concerned about what he termed a dangerous pattern of constitutional violations, attacks on tenure positions, and the alleged politicization of Liberia’s security sector. The party accused the Liberia National Police under Inspector General Gregory Coleman of heavy-handed tactics against opposition figures and claimed mysterious deaths and abuses are occurring in police custody.
The CDC also referenced the March 31, 2026 incident involving Montserrado County District 9 Representative Frank Saah Foko, alleging that there had been no investigation into what the party described as an attempted assassination against the lawmaker.
Additionally, the opposition criticized the controversial removal of former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and the expulsion of Representative Yekeh Kolubah, describing both developments as signs of worsening political intolerance capable of threatening national stability.
The CDC further warned that Liberia’s worsening economic conditions are pushing ordinary citizens back toward conditions similar to the country’s civil war years. The statement highlighted rising food prices, transportation costs, declining purchasing power, and the growing dependence on untreated “big bag” drinking water sold under unsanitary conditions in many communities.
“One especially troubling symbol of this hardship is the growing reliance on untreated water drawn from wells and packaged in ordinary plastic bags,” the statement noted, arguing that such conditions reflect deepening poverty and economic decline under the current administration.
Explaining its controversial “Mogadishu moment” warning, the CDC clarified that it was not predicting that Liberia would become Somalia but rather cautioning that prolonged political divisions, institutional weakening, and declining public trust could eventually trigger severe instability if left unchecked.
As part of preparations for the Zwedru gathering, the CDC announced a broad list of officials and organizers who will coordinate the Militant Month activities. The Grand Gedeh County Subcommittee will be chaired by Sampson Bossoe Williams, while the Central Committee overseeing national coordination will be led by Senator Gbleh-bo Brown alongside former Senator Henry Willie Yallah and several senior CDC figures.
Despite the party’s sharp criticisms of the government, Kowo concluded the statement with a call for national vigilance, democratic renewal, and continued political engagement by civil society organizations, religious leaders, youth groups, women organizations, and Liberia’s international partners.
The CDC also disclosed that immediately following the Zwedru celebration, the party will begin preparations for what it called an extraordinary national convention aimed at repositioning the CDC for future political struggles. “Redemption is in sight,” Kowo declared as he urged partisans and supporters to remain united ahead of what the party believes will be a defining political season in Liberia.
