Former Liberian President George Weah has accused his successor, Joseph Boakai, of abusing his power and planning to destroy the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) party.
In a letter addressed to the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Weah outlined a series of actions taken by the Boakai administration that he claims are designed to trample upon civil liberties and derail democratic gains.
The Boakai administration has denied all accusations of attacks on the CDC and acts of political reprisal. Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah said opposition supporters and leaders have been the main aggressors creating the atmosphere of chaos and anarchy.
Weah’s letter, which was also shared with major world powers, including the United States, China, the European Union and the African Union, details an unprovoked attack by Liberian security forces on the headquarters of the CDC, the country’s main opposition party.
“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, he said.
“We know that these brazen acts of aggression are under the instruction of President Joseph Boakai himself- who has said that he intends to diminish the CDC’s ability to mount any meaning political fight in the future.”
The letter also mentions other transgressions by the Boakai administration, including the excessive use of force against dissenting civilians, the non-prosecution of election-related killings, the disregard for the tenure laws of the country, and the political weaponization of prosecutorial powers.
Weah, who is the current leader of the CDC, claims that the Boakai administration is seeking to “diminish the CDC’s ability to mount any meaningful political fight in the future.”
He has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of scores of CDC partisans and other citizens who were detained following the raid on the party’s headquarters.
The former president has called on ECOWAS to engage in proactive diplomatic interventions to ensure that Liberia’s fledgling democracy is not sacrificed by the “misuse of power by the current regime.”
