Former President George Weah on Saturday publicly denounced the ruling Unity Party (UP) Alliance government as a “fraud” and urged Liberians to unite to remove it at the 2029 ballot, as he led a groundbreaking ceremony for a new headquarters for his opposition Congress for Democratic Change.
Speaking in the capital Monrovia to thousands of supporters two months after the party’s national headquarters was demolished, Weah repeatedly called the UP leadership “charlatans and mountebanks” and said Liberians must work to “deliver them from the hands” of those officials.
Charlatan, a 17th century world with French origin refers to a person who falsely pretends to have skills or knowledge they don’t possess in order to deceive others for personal gain, such as money or fame. They are essentially a fraud, imposter, or quack, often using trickery and false pretenses to manipulate people.
Partisans and supporters of the CDC have been toying with those words since the demolition of their national headquarters in Monrovia until leader Weah made it official Saturday.
“Let us work hard, because the Liberian people depend on us to deliver them from the hands of charlatans and mountebanks,” he said.
He vowed the CDC would rebuild its headquarters “in record time” and said the party’s strength lies in its members rather than in bricks and mortar: “The CDC is not in the walls of the structure. The CDC lives in our hearts and minds.”
Weah framed the ceremony as proof of resilience and a rebuke to what he described as the Unity Party’s disregard for the rule of law. “We are builders, not destroyers,” he said to cheering supporters, adding that the party remains committed to serving Liberians “irrespective of their political, religious, and social affiliations.”
The Unity Party and President Joseph Boakai won state power in November 2023 on promises to fight corruption and revive the economy. But the administration has faced criticism for what opponents say has been limited progress.
The International Monetary Fund recently cut growth prospects for Liberia in 2025, a development often cited by critics of the government.
Former Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, who chairs the CDC Headquarters Construction Committee, told the crowd the new complex would be a “powerful symbol” of the CDC’s anticipated return to power in 2029.
“This is a sophisticated edifice that will emerge as a symbol that truth crushed to the ground will rise again,” Koffa said, accusing the UP government of attempting to “erase” the CDC from Liberia’s political history by demolishing the former headquarters.
Koffa also launched a blistering critique of the current administration governance record, accusing it of turning state security forces into political tools and enumerating grievances he said demonstrated an abuse of power.
“If knowing how to use power means turning the police that should protect protesters into a shoot-and-kill death squad, we don’t want to know that kind of power,” he said, alleging the government had taken jobs from Liberians, undermined livelihoods, and diverted major contracts for private gain.
Saturday’s event drew party loyalists and observers who said the ceremony had reinvigorated the CDC’s base and fueled hopes for a robust campaign in 2029.
Organizers say the new headquarters will form a larger CDC complex and serve as a focal point for the party’s activities leading up to the next election cycle.
The Unity Party has not responded to allegations leveled by Weah and Koffa. Spokespersons contacted declined to comment.
