MONROVIA — The growing struggle over who should lead Liberia’s opposition has taken a sharper turn, with Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) Political Leader Musa Hassan Bility delivering a pointed message to his former political allies in the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC): opposition politics cannot be monopolized by one party.
In an open letter addressed to his “friends in the CDC,” Bility rejects mounting pressure for opposition parties to rally behind the CDC, arguing that political opposition should be defined by a commitment to accountability and alternative governance—not loyalty to a particular political organization.
Bility’s intervention comes amid continuing efforts by opposition parties to coordinate their activities. In August, his CMC declined a CDC invitation to an opposition leaders’ roundtable, arguing that the proposed process had already established elements of its leadership and organizational structure before broader consultations took place.
In his latest letter, Bility makes clear that his political ambitions extend beyond choosing between the two major political blocs.
He acknowledges that he has supported the CDC in presidential runoffs against the Unity Party, but says that past support does not oblige him or the CMC to surrender its independent political identity.
“I reject that definition completely,” Bility writes, referring to the idea that being part of the opposition requires supporting the CDC.
The CMC leader argues that Liberia needs a political alternative capable of challenging both the Unity Party government and the CDC’s record in government.
He also challenges the CDC to undertake what he describes as an honest examination of its six years in power and the circumstances surrounding its defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
Among the issues he raises is the controversial removal of former Supreme Court Associate Justice Joseph Nagbe, asking whether the CDC still believes the decision was correct and whether it would handle a similar situation differently if given another opportunity to govern.
Bility also turns his attention to the Legislature, particularly the political struggle that resulted in the removal of former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
He argues that opposition lawmakers had an opportunity after the 2023 elections to provide a meaningful institutional check on President Joseph Boakai’s administration, but that divisions within the opposition ultimately weakened that balance.
His criticism is particularly pointed toward CDC figures whom he says cooperated with the Unity Party in the effort that removed Koffa.
Bility contends that the episode raises fundamental questions about the credibility of any attempt to build opposition unity while excluding discussion of the actions of opposition actors themselves.
“Opposition unity cannot be built upon selective memory,” he argues.
The CMC leader also revisits his own political relationship with the CDC, saying his support for Koffa came at considerable personal and economic cost. He claims that approximately 60 percent of his business was lost and that he faced accusations and insults because of his position.
According to Bility, the CDC did not stand with him during that period.
He now rejects accusations from some CDC supporters that his independent political posture makes him a collaborator of the Unity Party.
“I have never declared support for the Unity Party,” he says, insisting that his opposition to the CDC does not amount to support for the Boakai administration.
The CMC has publicly positioned itself as an independent political force. Its own platform describes the party as a movement focused on changing Liberia’s political culture, while Bility has previously called for opposition cooperation based on governance principles rather than power-sharing.
The latest letter therefore appears to deepen an already visible divide over the structure and direction of Liberia’s opposition ahead of the next presidential election.
Bility says the CMC intends to challenge corruption, abuse of power, institutional weakness and impunity regardless of which political party is responsible.
His message to the CDC is unmistakable: cooperation may be possible, but political submission is not.
“If my decision to seek the presidency and offer Liberia a different path means that the CDC has chosen to enter into a political war with me,” Bility writes, “then I am prepared for that political fire.”
He concludes with a warning that is certain to attract attention within Liberia’s increasingly competitive opposition landscape:
“We will meet on the democratic battlefront—the battlefield of ideas, leadership, character, and the sovereign votes of the Liberian people.”
Bility’s CMC is therefore positioning itself not simply as another opposition party, but as a potential third political lane challenging the established competition between the CDC and the Unity Party. His letter makes clear that any future opposition alliance involving the CMC is likely to face demands for accountability, equal participation and an independent political identity.
