Over what he termed an “unprovoked attack” on his party headquarters and supporters, opposition leader George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has written to the ECOWAS Commission to register his grievances and express his displeasure about President Boakai and his government’s continued “attacks” and “acts of violence” perpetrated against him and his party by state security.
The former President, George Weah, accused President Boakai of allegedly plotting to erase CDC while at the same time warning against nefarious attempts to derail the peace.
A communication dated August 23, 2024, quoted ex-President Weah as saying, on August 22, 2024, State security forces under the dubious guise of effecting a drug raid, attack the headquarters of the CDC.
The communication which was addressed to H.E. Omar Alieu Turay, President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Abuja Federal Republic of Nigeria, highlighted several alleged attacks meted against the country’s leading opposition Party.
Former President Weah’s communication to ECOWAS President reads: “I write to draw your attention and through you, the Authority of Heads of State, to an unprovoked attack on the headquarters of our political institution, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) on Thursday, August 22, 2024, by Liberian security forces under the dubious guise of effecting a drug raid. This premeditated and callous act of violence targeted at the country’s main opposition political party, is the latest in a series of actions by the Boakai Administration to trample upon political freedoms, disregard the laws of the land, undermine democracy and stoke tension in the country,” the letter stated.
The former Liberian leader alleged in his communication that earlier this month, On August 5, 2024, the nation witnessed a similar police action, again targeted at the headquarters of the CDC where they illegally breached the entry to the compound while heavily armed.
Mr. Weah emphasized that as the former leader of the country, he knows that these brazen acts of aggression are under the alleged instruction of President Joseph Boakai himself who has allegedly said that he intends to diminish the CDC’s ability to mount any meaningful political fight in the future.
According to Weah, the attack on Thursday, was reminiscent of their troubled past, where the police allegedly fired hundreds of lethal and non-lethal rounds at unarmed civilians whose only “crime” seems to remain ardent supporters and sympathizers of the CDC.
The CDC Political leader highlighted that various state security agencies that were involved in the alleged raid have given conflicting accounts of why it was initiated, an indication of an attempt to cover up their real motive.
He said this is happening while civil servants who are perceived to sympathize with the CDC are being harassed and purged out of the civil service.
“May we also draw your attention to other transgressions, including the excessive use of force against any semblance of dissent by unarmed civilians which has resulted in several deaths; the non-prosecution of election-related killings that occurred on camera; the total disregard for the tenure laws of the country even in the face of the Liberia Supreme Court’s rulings, political weaponization of prosecutorial powers and the broad-day violations of the procurement and other statutory laws of the country.”
The ex-President emphasized that while the CDC has ostensibly demonstrated its utmost regard for the maintenance of the hard-earned peace and respect for the rule of law, as was displayed recently through a peaceful transfer of power, they refuse to sit idly by and watch these transgressions persist.
According to him, following the ill-fated raid at his Party Headquarters, the government has detained scores of his partisans and other citizens at the Monrovia central prison on trumped-up charges, while demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
“President Boakai and his team must be under the illusion that they have such an overwhelming mandate to lead at their whims and wishes. That notion is a terrible mistake as true power rests with the people and not any government bent on ruling outside the ambit of the law,” Mr. Weah emphasized.
Continuing he said: “All vested stakeholders with knowledge of the Liberian situation have lamented how deeply divided the country remains following the hard-fought presidential election. A well-meaning and supposedly “experienced” leader would make reconciling the nation his foremost priority. This is sadly not the case. President Boakai has been overtaken by absolute power and we know where that leads as our history is replete with examples.
As a longtime actor on the political landscape of the country, he ought to be fully cognizant of the vices that brought our nation on its knees. We expect he would provide leadership that cautions against the abuse of power, erosion of democracy, and rule of law. Instead, he’s leading the charge.”
Weah, however, noted that over the past few years, the African region has witnessed a marked rollback of democratic constitutional rule leading to various setbacks.
Given this, he called on ECOWAS to engage in proactive diplomatic interventions in countries such as Liberia to ensure that our fledgling democracy is not sacrificed by the misuse of power by the current regime.
“May I iterate that in the wake of the statement by President Boakai to some legislators that he will erase the CDC from the political map of Liberia, we make it abundantly clear that the party is here to stay and will continue to remain a vibrant political force. In the face of such grave threats from the President, followed by multiple nefarious actions against our very God-given rights to exist, all can be assured that we, the CDC will utilize every right guaranteed by the Constitution to ensure that we are not erased. We implore you to convey this to the Boakai Administration; that as we strive to maintain the peace of the country, we will not tolerate our rights being abused,” he emphasized.
On the other hand, the Chief Spokesman of the Government, Minister Jeromenlik Piah, previously denied claims of an attack on the CDC party headquarters.
The government said in an official statement that State Security had gone to execute a search and seizure warrant during a drug raid at a property in a small-town community at the back of the CDC headquarters.
