The Sixth Judicial Circuit Court for Montserrado County has ordered the immediate eviction of the National Elections Commission (NEC) from its headquarters on 9th Street, Sinkor, following a ruling in favor of the estate of the late Francis Marshall.
According to a writ of possession issued on April 15, the court directed the county sheriff to remove NEC officials and all occupants acting under the commission’s authority from the disputed property. The ruling further mandates that possession be transferred to the plaintiffs, represented by estate administratrix Mai Thompson and co-plaintiff Godwin Marshall.
The decision stems from a prior judgment delivered on April 13 during the court’s March term, which upheld the plaintiffs’ claim to ownership of the property. Judge’s instructions emphasized immediate enforcement, including eviction and return of the premises to the Marshall estate. The sheriff has also been tasked with filing official documentation detailing the execution of the order.
The case highlights persistent disputes over land rights in Liberia, particularly involving public institutions occupying prime real estate in Monrovia. NEC’s headquarters, located in the heart of Sinkor, has long been a strategic site for the commission’s operations. Its loss raises questions about where the electoral body will relocate as it prepares for upcoming national processes.
NEC has occupied the land for nearly two decades since the early 2000s when the government of the United States renovated the depressed property and gifted it to the Liberian authorities to enhance postwar electoral governance. That building has facilated back-to-back democratic transitions in a nation once beset by horrific civil wars.
Being renovated currently, Contractors are reroofing the main building with high-quality Decra zinc, paving the compound with concrete, tiling interior walls, applying fresh coats of paint, and elevating the perimeter fence to enhance security and create a more conducive working environment.
