Liberia: Ruling CDC Has Leadership Crisis in Maryland County

The national chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Mulbah Morlu, has been implicated in the ongoing leadership crisis that has engulfed the Maryland chapter of the ruling coalition.

The county chairman of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), one of the three constituent parties of the CDC, Kodjo Wilson, told Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor during a visit to the county that Chairman Morlu is responsible for the ongoing crisis in the county.

Wilson accused Morlu of appointing a county chairman without doing due diligence or in concert with partisans.

Scores of CDC partisans had earlier told Taylor at a town hall meeting that the local chapter of the coalition is still in a deep leadership crisis and that partisans are left divided over who actually heads the party at the county level.

The county chairman of the NPP further that Morlu would appoint someone as chairman and, in less than one month, he would make another appointment.

“I was appointed as [county] chairman of the Coalition some part of last year by chairman Morlu through a conference call but, within just less than a year, chairman Morlu appointed Series Doe, the county chairman of the Congress for Democratic Change, as county chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change,” the NPP county chairman said.

"I am willing to settle for the best in the interest of the Party if the right thing is done and if chairman Morlu goes public to announce the legitimate chairman of the party in the county,” Wilson added.

The county chairman of the NPP also pointed out other issues that are hindering the progress of the party in the county, such as limited logistics both at the county and district levels.

The VP expressed her disappointment concerning the ongoing leadership crisis of the Coalition at the county level and called on CDC partisans to handle issues faced by them professionally, given that the party is at a critical point, seeking reelection. 

“We can't be going to elections and at the same time have these kinds of problems in the party. This is troubling and must be addressed by the party leadership at the national level.”

The leadership of the coalition in the county is done on a rotational basis, according to sources. It was headed by the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) during the 2017 legislative and Presidential elections, the Congress for Democratic Change took over in the midterm 2020 senatorial election and so this time it should be the NPP. But it appears like Morlu is having none of this.

“Another constituent party of the [Coalition], who hasn't served and should be heading the CDC in the county, and that is the NPP,” the Vice president noted.

At the same time, she has committed herself to address the issues raised by partisans with the national executive committee of CDC upon her return to Monrovia.

The VP has however called on the CDC partisans in Maryland to work hard to ensure that the Weah Led government gets a first-round victory in the ensuing October 10 elections.

"The President is and will expect more from the partisans in the southeast as it relates to his reelection for the second term. The President is from the southeast and we get almost all senior government officials from the southeast", said the Vice President 

She later donated three motorbikes to the three constituent parties, NPP, CDC, and LPDP in the county.