CMC Convention Takes Nimba by Storms -Friendly Opposition Forces, Lawmakers Grace Convention 

Saturday, March 2, 2025 no doubt left strong memories of grandeur and color on citizens of Nimba County, specifically in Saclepea and its environs as Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility and his Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) party climaxed their first major convention, congregating political like-minds and legislative colleagues – an event many believe has sowed the seed that would sprout and herald the path for contestation in the 2029 presidential and general elections.

The well-attended and action-packed convention also saw Mr. James M.V. Yogee elected as Chairman, while Mr. Wilfred Bangura became the secretary General, all on a white ballot.

Veteran Liberian lawyer, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe swore them into office during the action-packed convention notably graced by opposition lawmakers who welcomed the establishment of a new political party to counter the ruling establishment which they say have failed the Liberian people.

In answering to the call of duty from the Liberian people to lead them in a new political dispensation, CMC Political Leader Bility said for the last 30 years he walked the path of politics, fighting to make things right, pushing for a better Liberia, trying to convince those in power to lead with vision and responsibility.

“I have given my time, my energy, my ideas, and my heart to this country. But I have come to realize that true change cannot come from the top unless the people own it, demand it, and drive it forward themselves. That is why we are here today. 

“We are here to chart a new course—one where Liberians are not just spectators but participants in building their nation. One where our economy is not controlled by a few, but by the many. One where our women, our children, our farmers, our entrepreneurs, our workers, and our youth have a place and a purpose. This is your movement. This is the Citizen Movement for Change (CMC). This is the movement that will transform Liberia from a country of survival to a country of prosperity,” Bility said as the jam-packed convention hall broke into thunderous applause.

Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Korlubah chose the occasion to assure the people of Nimba County that he will be in the forefront of the campaign for the Nimba County senator, and that he will work with the CMC to ensure an opposition victory because the ruling establishment has failed the Liberian people, therefore, any candidate that is supported by the government in these byelections will be a disservice to the people of Nimba County and the Liberian people.

“I want to challenge some of you lawmakers. Some people say they want to be senators, but they are breaking all the laws. The law you made, you are breaking it, but you want to go up. Do you know why people want to go up? Because they want to increase their time, six years is too short. But we will be here in Nimba County to talk to people that believe in us. You cannot be a gangster, then you want to run Nimba County. You cannot be a lawmaker that is breaking the law that we made ourselves, then you want to be senator of Nimba County. You are wasting your time. We will be here. And the opposition will take the day. I want to challenge all of you people here. Nobody campaigned for this government equally to me, but what we campaigned for is not happening and will never happen.

Speaking to the parked convention audience, Representative Korlubah said Liberia will only progress if Liberians come together and understand that they themselves are their own problem. 

“Liberia will be better when we all come together, because our problem in this country is about ourselves; it’s not about a leader. Some people here right now are happy because they have their people in government, or because they are getting small, small eating. Yesterday, the other people were happy the same way. Are we going to live like this: where when your interest is there then everything is ok? Some of you people thought I was never going to criticize Mr. Boakai because I went to counties to bring them to power. But if you can criticize your son in your house, he will do better. But some of our mothers here when we go out and we do wrong, everything we do is right. At that point they are leading us to spoil. When we spoil, that means our mothers and fathers made us spoil, because when we do the wrong thing they will say it is right. But it is wrong for everybody.

“I am not criticizing because I want to criticize. I am criticizing because when we said yesterday, former President Weah was riding a private jet, but the Joseph Boakai I brought to power is riding a private jet from here to go to Lofa County. So, when you people didn’t talk yesterday when the former President Weah government was having some shortcomings, because you people were enjoying it. But I will speak, because people in Saclepea saw me when I was passing to go with my convoy, and spent my own money to bring him to power because we thought the wrong of yesterday was going to be made right today. I have no regret voting against former President Weah. But the people I brought to power will regret why I had to vote for them and campaign for them.”

Kolubah said further: “This country is a better place and will be a better place because there is money in this country we can live on; we don’t need money from outside. But we don’t want to empower people here. We sit down as lawmakers, we have become lawbreakers, we have become criminals. We put all the money in the budget and leave you the people out,” Representative Korlubah said amid thunderous applause.

Addressing a team of journalists during the CMC launch in Saclepea over the weekend, Representative Josiah Marvin Cole of District #3 in Bong County failed to mince his words when asked whether his presence in Saclepea meant he was now a member of the CMC, and what are his political interests in the pending Nimba County byelection.

The former National Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart could not hide his admiration for Representative Bility and all those who worked overtime to birth the CMC, but was quick to add that Liberians will be notified about any plans he harbors to join the CMC, noting however that as member of the opposition bloc, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), he will ensure that Representative Samuel Kogar doesn’t become the next senator for Nimba County for two basic reasons.

“Two reasons why Samuel Kogar should not be elected as senator of Nimba County. He is going to create a byelection that will be a financial burden to the already drowned political institution or conversation they are having with the Unity Party, which has failed this country and Kogar is associating with them. So, to contest as a senator for Nimba, if you win that election, you are going to create a by-election that will be very dangerous.

“So, basically, we support the idea of the CMC. We encourage Musa Hassan Bility and all the members of the CMC to continue. And I want to send a clear message to the people of Nimba. With Senator Nya Twayen in Nimba County, you can see his performance. You can see what he is doing even though he is supported by the government. So, if Representative Kogar comes and says he wants to be senator, just one major reason he cannot be senator is that Kogar could not manage his home. The woman had to take him to court. All the women in Nimba County need to support their female friend. The man’s marriage had collapsed due to his inability to handle his home, and then the woman took him to the Supreme Court. He should have prevented that. The court has ruled against him to retroactively pay US$1,000 of his earnings to this woman. So, Kogar, there is no reason that you have a job already which you messed up. You cannot represent the people of Nimba and you want to be a senator,” Representative Cole said.

Speaking further on his reason for supporting the launch of Bility’s CMC, Rep. Cole said his presence in Saclepea has become a cause for concern with Nimbaians and even his people from Bong County. “We are all in Nimba County, Saclepea. We came to support our colleague Musa Hassan Bility. My understanding is he is having the first national convention of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC). The whole country and other political leaders are concerned about why I am wearing the party T-shirt of the CMC. I have not officially joined the CMC. We have come as members of the Rule of Law Caucus to support Musa Bility because he is our chairman. It’s good to come and support your people on these kinds of occasions. So, whatever will help the Liberian people, we will also be supportive of those kinds of ideas. If the need arises to join, we are going to make a full disclosure of our intent to join the CMC.

“In the county, across the country, we have a commanding lead in the Bong County politics. Anybody who won with around 20,000 votes, you are a determining factor in any election in the Republic of Liberia. But I can tell you, I support the opposition, and we will be supporting the opposition candidate in Nimba County that will be a winnable candidate,” Rep. Cole said.