Liberia: CDC Supporters Push for Former Chairman’s Return

MONROVIA – Three years before Liberians return to the polls to elect a new president and members of the Legislature, a conversation is emerging within the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), with supporters of its former National Chairman, Mulbah K. Morlu Jr., increasingly making the case for his return to the party’s highest administrative position.

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By Selma Lomax, [email protected] 

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Across several counties, including Bong, Margibi, Grand Bassa and Montserrado, individuals identifying with Morlu’s political leadership are said to be organizing themselves around a common demand that the former chairman return to the position he resigned from in February 2024.

Their campaign is expected to take a more visible form on November 14, when supporters say they intend to present a petition urging Morlu to reconsider his departure and return to the chairmanship.

Although the proposed mobilization is being described by its organizers as a grassroots initiative, its broader political significance lies in what it reveals about the internal conversations taking place within the CDC as the party considers its future.

For a political movement that rose from opposition politics to the presidency in 2017, the challenge is not merely to remain politically relevant. It is to demonstrate that it can reorganize itself after losing power and convince Liberians that it has the leadership, structure and national appeal to return to government.

Morlu’s supporters believe he is among the few figures within the party capable of undertaking that assignment. They point to his years of involvement in the CDC, his experience coordinating nationwide political structures, his role in the party’s 2017 electoral campaign and his ability to mobilize supporters beyond traditional party boundaries.

But beyond the arguments about his political résumé, the campaign also appears to be driven by a sentiment among some partisans that the CDC needs to rediscover the organizational energy that characterized its years in opposition.

A political movement looking for direction

The CDC’s defeat in the 2023 presidential runoff remains a defining moment in the party’s recent political history. Former President George Manneh Weah received 793,914 votes against 814,481 for Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who contested on the ticket of the Unity Party. The difference of 20,567 votes delivered the presidency to Boakai after a closely contested election.

While the CDC lost the presidency, it retained considerable political influence, emerging as the largest single party in the House of Representatives with 25 of the 73 seats.

For Morlu’s supporters, those figures demonstrate that the party’s political foundation was not destroyed by the electoral defeat. Instead, they argue that the CDC possesses a substantial electoral constituency that needs to be reorganized, motivated and expanded.

Their argument is that the party should not approach 2029 as a political organization starting from nothing. Rather, it should build upon the support it accumulated during its years in government and opposition.

That process, they believe, requires leadership capable of understanding the party from the grassroots to its national executive level. Morlu’s supporters say his experience in different positions within the CDC gives him an institutional understanding that would be difficult to replace.

They also argue that his return would provide an opportunity to reconcile members who may have become politically distant following the party’s loss of power and his eventual resignation.

Bong County: A call for organizational experience

In Bong County, where the CDC has maintained a considerable political presence over the years, supporters say the party needs a chairman who understands the importance of building its structures beyond Monrovia.

Samuel K. Nyumah, representing the Bong County constituency, argues that the CDC’s political strength has historically depended on its ability to maintain relationships with ordinary partisans in towns, villages and communities.

According to Nyumah, the party cannot prepare for another presidential election by concentrating its political activities around national headquarters while grassroots supporters remain disconnected from the leadership.

He believes Morlu’s experience in rebuilding the party’s structures following the 2011 elections makes him a suitable candidate to lead another organizational exercise. “Mulbah Morlu understands how the CDC is built. He understands the people who sacrificed their time and resources to make the party what it became. We are not saying that other members do not have leadership qualities, but we believe that, at this particular moment, the party needs someone who understands its structures and knows how to bring people together. We want him to return because the work ahead

requires experience, commitment and a clear understanding of the grassroots,” Nyumah said in an illustrative statement.

Margibi County: The question of political mobilization

In Margibi County, supporters are placing particular emphasis on Morlu’s reputation as a political mobilizer and his ability to organize people around issues that extend beyond party politics.

Patricia W. Kollie argues that the CDC needs a chairman who can transform political dissatisfaction into organized participation and give younger partisans a meaningful role in the party’s future. Kollie believes that the political environment leading to the 2029 elections will require more than speeches, press conferences and occasional rallies.

She argues that the party must begin preparing its supporters through sustained community engagement, political education, recruitment and the establishment of functional county and district structures.

“Politics is not only about having a popular presidential candidate. It is also about having people who can take the party’s message to the communities, listen to ordinary Liberians and organize supporters around a common vision. We believe Morlu has demonstrated that capacity over the years. His ability to mobilize people and communicate political issues is something the CDC should not take for granted. We want him back because we believe he can help restore the energy that made the party a formidable political force,” Kollie said in an illustrative statement.

Grand Bassa County: Rebuilding unity after political disagreements

In Grand Bassa County, the argument for Morlu’s return is being framed around reconciliation and the need to prevent internal disagreements from weakening the party ahead of the next electoral cycle.

James T. Wleh believes that the CDC must find a way to bring together members whose relationships may have been affected by disagreements over leadership, political direction and the management of party affairs.

Morlu resigned from the chairmanship in February 2024, citing disagreements and concerns about constraints on his ability to perform his responsibilities.

Although his departure was voluntary, supporters now argue that political differences should not permanently separate individuals who contributed to building the party. Wleh believes that Morlu’s return could provide an opportunity for the party to open a new chapter in its internal relations.

“We cannot continue to allow disagreements to determine the future of a party that so many Liberians worked hard to build. People have their differences, and political organizations will always experience disagreements, but those differences should not become permanent divisions. We believe Morlu has a role to play in bringing people together again. His return would send a message that the CDC is prepared to put personal interests aside and focus on the bigger responsibility of rebuilding the party,” Wleh said in an illustrative statement.

Montserrado County: Beyond party politics

In Montserrado County, where the CDC maintains its most visible political presence, supporters are highlighting Morlu’s activities since leaving the party’s chairmanship.

They argue that his leadership of Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) demonstrates that he has retained the ability to organize people and engage in national political conversations even outside the CDC’s formal leadership structure.

Michael B. Dolo believes the former chairman’s political activities since 2024 show that his influence is not limited to the traditional CDC membership.

Dolo points particularly to the July 17, 2026, “Lead or Leave” demonstration, which was organized amid growing public demands for accountability and concerns about governance. The Independent National Commission on Human Rights reported that the demonstration attracted more than 1,500 participants and was largely peaceful.

Supporters also point to the participation of student organizations, including the Student Unification Party, the Progressive Students Alliance and the Student Integration Movement, as evidence of the potential for broader political cooperation.

For Dolo, these developments demonstrate that Morlu can engage people from different backgrounds around issues of national interest. “One of the things the CDC needs going into 2029 is a chairman who can communicate beyond the party’s traditional supporters. We need somebody who can bring young people, students, community leaders and ordinary citizens into national conversations. What Morlu has demonstrated through STAND is that he can mobilize people around issues that concern the country, even when they do not necessarily belong to the CDC. We believe that experience can be useful to the party as it prepares for the next elections,” Dolo said in an illustrative statement.

A record supporters say should not be overlooked

Much of the campaign for Morlu’s return rests on his history within the CDC. Supporters trace his involvement to 2005, when he served as chairman of the Progressive Action for Change, a CDC-aligned auxiliary.

They say he subsequently served as assistant public relations director before becoming director of public relations that same year. Over the years, he occupied several positions, including chairman of the Policy Response Committee in 2009, chairman of the Mobilization and Recruitment Committee in 2010 and chairman of the Nationwide Restructuring Committee in 2012.

He later served as vice chairman for operations from 2012 to 2018 and chaired the party’s convention committee in 2014. Supporters consider his role in the 2012 restructuring exercise particularly important.

Following the CDC’s defeat in the 2011 elections, the party faced the challenge of reorganizing its county structures after widespread resignations among county-level leadership. According to supporters, Morlu’s restructuring committee worked to rebuild those structures and restore the party’s organizational presence across the country.

They contend that the exercise provided the foundation for the political machinery that subsequently supported the CDC’s successful 2017 presidential campaign. Morlu later became National Chairman and served for approximately six years, including during the period when the CDC controlled the Executive Branch.

For his supporters, that experience provides an important basis for their argument that he understands the demands of leading a political organization through both opposition and government. They also cite vocational training initiatives reportedly organized for ordinary partisans at the party’s headquarters as evidence that his leadership sought to provide opportunities beyond political mobilization.

Whether those experiences would translate into another successful period at the helm of the CDC remains a question that only the party’s political process and Morlu himself can ultimately answer.

The STAND factor

Morlu’s supporters also believe his work outside the CDC has added another dimension to his political profile. Through STAND, he has continued to participate in national political discussions, particularly those involving governance, accountability and public institutions.

The July 17 demonstration remains one of the events frequently cited by his backers. The “Lead or Leave” protest brought together different categories of participants and attracted attention because of its demands for accountability amid concerns surrounding governance and the country’s response to a major narcotics investigation.

For Morlu’s supporters, the demonstration illustrated the importance of political organization in shaping public discourse. They argue that a party preparing for 2029 must be capable of connecting its political objectives with the concerns of ordinary citizens.

However, they also acknowledge that leading a civic movement and managing a political party are different responsibilities. While STAND can mobilize around particular national issues, the CDC must manage internal elections, membership disputes, candidate selection, legislative coordination and the broader responsibilities associated with electoral politics.

Supporters believe Morlu’s previous experience as chairman gives him an advantage in understanding those institutional demands.

They say the combination of his experience within the CDC and his continued engagement in national affairs could help the party strengthen its political relevance.

Will Morlu accept the call?

Despite the growing enthusiasm among his supporters, the biggest question surrounding the proposed November 14 petition is whether Morlu himself is prepared to return. His resignation in February 2024 came amid disagreements over the direction and management of the party.

Those circumstances remain relevant to any discussion about his possible return, particularly because supporters acknowledge that reconciliation would require more than a public petition.

It would require engagement between Morlu and the party’s current leadership, an understanding of the concerns that contributed to his departure and a willingness among different factions to find common ground.

There is also the question of the CDC’s constitution and the procedures governing the selection of its national chairman. A petition from supporters, regardless of its size, cannot by itself confer the chairmanship. Any leadership change must follow the party’s established constitutional and electoral processes.

The position of the current national leadership will therefore be important in determining whether the proposed initiative develops into a broader internal discussion about the party’s future.

Morlu’s response will also matter. If he accepts the appeal, the party could be confronted with a renewed debate about its leadership direction and the possibility of an internal contest.

If he declines, supporters will have to decide whether to continue pressing for his return or channel their efforts into another form of political engagement.

As of November 8, no confirmed response from Morlu concerning the proposed petition has been provided in the information available for this report.