BUCHANAN, GRAND BASSA COUNTY — From a bitter Liberty Party (LP) war to an emotional embrace, Charlyne Brumskine tells Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence: “This is your time. This is your season.”
There was a period when it seemed unimaginable for Charlyne M. Brumskine and Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence to share a stage, let alone embrace in front of thousands of Liberty Party partisans.
For years, these two women found themselves on opposing sides of a political struggle that threatened to fracture the party established by Charlyne’s late father, former presidential candidate and political leader Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine.
Howbeit, during the Liberty Party’s rebranding ceremony in Buchanan over the weekend, it appeared that the longstanding conflict had, at least momentarily, given way to reconciliation.
Charlyne had a heartfelt message for the woman who once found herself at the heart of the LP’s internal turmoil.
“My big sis, thank you. I’m leaving y’all. I am going to Nigeria to represent Liberia on the biggest court in the region,” she told the crowd.
Then came the moment that transformed the atmosphere of the ceremony. Turning to Karnga-Lawrence, Charlyne said: “Mama, thank you. Thank you for everything. A lot has happened in our past — I love you! I thank you for all you have done.”
Charlene embraced the Senate President Pro Tempore, and the crowd erupted in applause.
This was more than just an embrace between two women; it symbolized a Liberty Party that had endured one of the most challenging internal conflicts in its history.
WHEN THE PARTY WAS AT WAR WITH ITSELF
The wounds ran deep within the Liberty Party as its internal crisis escalated after the 2021 convention in Gbarnga.
Disagreements surfaced regarding the party’s constitution, the extent of leadership powers, and the legitimacy of changes made to its governing documents.
This conflict led to the emergence of rival factions; one led by then-National Chairman Musa Hassan Bility and the other by Political Leader Karnga-Lawrence.
What started as a simple internal disagreement evolved into a significant political upheaval.
Bility’s faction chose to align with the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and backed Alexander Cummings in the 2023 presidential election.
In contrast, Karnga-Lawrence, Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, and other figures from the Liberty Party supported Joseph Boakai and the Unity Party.
The rift grew so pronounced that Karnga-Lawrence and Dillon were expelled by Bility’s faction, reinforcing the notion that the Liberty Party had effectively split into two distinct political entities operating under the same name.
Meanwhile, Charlyne Brumskine, the daughter of the party’s founder, did not remain on the sidelines. She sided with Bility’s faction and the CPP.
Howbeit, in 2023, she publicly extended an olive branch to Karnga-Lawrence, Dillon, and other discontented LP members, emphasizing that reconciliation could not be imposed.
The irony was striking: the daughter of the party’s founding father and a powerful political figure had found themselves on opposing sides in a battle over the future of the very institution that Brumskine had helped establish.
THE BILITY EXIT
The political deadlock eventually reached a turning point. On September 24, 2024, Bility stepped down as National Chairman of the Liberty Party and chose to leave the party altogether.
In his resignation letter, he reflected on his three-and-a-half years in leadership as “satisfying, complex, and challenging,” explaining that he believed he could make a more meaningful political impact through different paths.
However, his exit also opened up opportunities for the Liberty Party to start the rebuilding process.
Within weeks, the two factions began a reconciliation effort. By November 2024, the party unveiled a plan to restore unity, which included reinstating Karnga-Lawrence as political leader and organizing a special national convention.
This reconciliation initiative brought together members from both factions after years of political and legal disputes.
By February 2025, Karnga-Lawrence announced that the party was once again united.
The LP geared up for a national convention themed “Stronger Together.”
In the meantime, Bility had moved on; in March 2025, he was inaugurated as the political leader of the newly established Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), marking the start of a new chapter away from the party he once led.
The figure who had been central to the LP’s internal conflicts was no longer present. The Liberty Party continued to exist, and reconciliation began to take the place of confrontation.
THEN CAME THE TEARS
The change became clear in March 2025. During the LP’s International Women’s Day event, Charlyne Brumskine-Dennis handed Karnga-Lawrence a reconciliation symbol that featured images of her late father, Karnga-Lawrence, and National Chairperson Rugie Yatu Barry.
This heartfelt gesture moved Charlyne, Karnga-Lawrence, Senator Dillon, and other party officials and supporters to tears.
That moment was important, but the Buchanan embrace was even more profound. This time, Charlyne was not just giving a symbol; she was publicly embracing the woman whose political path had once crossed her own. And she was doing this as she prepared to leave Liberia for one of the most esteemed judicial roles in West Africa.
FROM THE BRUMSKINE LEGACY TO THE ECOWAS COURT BENCH
Charlyne Brumskine has been appointed as a judge of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice for the term spanning 2026 to 2030.
Her appointment was confirmed by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in July 2026, making her one of five judges selected for this new term, which begins in October.
This appointment is historic, as Brumskine is the first Liberian woman to hold a judgeship in the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.
She steps into a role within a regional institution tasked with handling cases related to human rights and obligations under ECOWAS law.
For the lawyer and daughter of a notable political figure in Liberia, this role is also deeply personal.
Her late father, Charles Walker Brumskine, had aspirations for regional service himself, having hoped to become Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, a dream he was unable to fulfill.
Now, Charlyne has carved out her own path at the regional level—not through political means, but as a judge.
“I will be a judge, but it’s the Bassa people who I represent. It’s Liberia who I represent,” she told the Buchanan crowd.
She also acknowledged the support of the Liberty Party, stating, “It’s for the Liberty Party coming together, reconciling that was able to help me to get this position. It’s for y’all. I’m representing y’all.”
“THIS IS YOUR TIME”
Then came what might be considered the most politically loaded words of the afternoon. Charlyne turned to Karnga-Lawrence and said, “On behalf of my mother, and on behalf of Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, this is your time. This is your season. Carry on the legacy.”
Her message felt less like a tribute and more like a handover of political duty when she added: “Liberty Party will govern this country one day.”
For a party that once seemed engulfed in its own internal struggles, the symbolism was striking.
The founder’s daughter was preparing to leave for Nigeria to serve on a regional court. The party’s political leader was standing beside her.
The old factions had officially reconciled. Bility had moved on and created a new political entity.
And the woman who once fought on the opposite side of the LP divide was now affectionately referred to as “Mama” by the founder’s daughter.
The past cannot be erased. The lawsuits occurred. The expulsions took place. The rival factions existed. The political alliances formed. The bitterness was real. But so was the reconciliation.
In Buchanan on Saturday October 3, Charlyne Brumskine seemed to convey that the Liberty Party’s next chapter should not be dictated by its past conflicts. It must be shaped by how its leaders embrace the peace they have finally achieved.
For Karnga-Lawrence, the message was clear: “This is your time. This is your season.” For Charlyne, it was a goodbye.
For the Liberty Party, it was a moment of confronting its own history. And for the legacy of Charles Walker Brumskine, perhaps the most surprising scene was his daughter embracing the woman who once stood across the political battlefield—and urging her to carry the legacy forward.
