Liberia: Saah Joseph’s Exit Deals Major Blow to CDC, Acting Chairman Admits
MONROVIA — “We can’t sit and pretend that the departure of Senator Saah H. Joseph and others from the CDC does not mean anything to us as a party,” Acting Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Chairman Atty. Janga A. Kowo said Tuesday, conceding the political weight of one of the party’s most prominent resignations in years.
Addressing hundreds of partisans in central Monrovia, Kowo urged supporters to “remain focused and determined ahead of the 2029 general and presidential elections,” framing Joseph’s exit as a setback but not a death blow. He pointed to earlier defections, including founding members Oratio Guld, George Solo, and the late Senator Geraldine Doe-Sheriff, as proof that the CDC has endured high-profile losses before and rebounded.
Joseph’s resignation, submitted on August 9 and confirmed in an interview on Spoon Talk, ends nearly two decades of alliance with the CDC, the political institution through which he rose from district representative to senator. His decision lands as the CDC faces one of the most turbulent periods in its 19-year history, with internal rifts widening, key members defecting, and its political base under strain following the party’s 2023 electoral defeat.
Senator Joseph alleges corruption, betrayal, and assassination plots against him by top CDC figures, including former President George Weah. The claims, if true, strike at the core of the party’s leadership and have triggered fierce
‘The CDC destroyed Liberia’
Joseph further accused the Weah-led CDC government of plundering state resources and soliciting multi-million-dollar bribes from foreign investors. He cited a collapsed US$500 million Bulgarian investment deal, claiming CDC officials demanded a US$10 million payoff before the House of Representatives would approve the concession. “The former officials of former President Weah’s administration destroyed Liberia,” Joseph alleged.
He also claimed that members of the CDC orchestrated an arson attack on his home in February 2024, an incident neighbors attributed to faulty wiring. Joseph insists the fire was politically motivated, retaliation for his outperforming Weah in Montserrado County in the 2023 presidential election. “They tried to kill me on several occasions,” he alleged.
The senator also accused party insiders of targeting former CDC national chairman Mulbah Morlu, alleging he was drugged and beaten, a claim Morlu has flatly denied. “I was never drugged by CDCians; Sen. Saah Joseph lied,” Morlu said, declining to speculate on Weah’s political future.
From ally to adversary
Before entering politics, Joseph was a leader with the Baptist Alliance Mission in Sierra Leone, where he built schools for the church. In 2005, Weah recruited him to contest Montserrado’s District 13 seat, a race he won, serving three terms before claiming the Montserrado County Senate seat in 2020 following Doe-Sheriff’s death.
Though he chaired the Senate Executive Committee for most of Weah’s presidency, Joseph says the former president did not speak to him for more than four years. Rejecting claims that he owed his political rise to Weah, Joseph said: “I did not come to the CDC as an empty man. I was somebody when Weah and Gray met me.”
Former Montserrado lawmaker Acarous Gray, now a political commentator, called Joseph “an ingrate and political hypocrite,” accusing him of taking a US$1 million bribe from the Bulgarian deal, an allegation Joseph denies. Gray argued that Joseph’s newfound loyalty to President Joseph Boakai is rooted in tribal solidarity, as both hail from Lofa County.
PAP: A new political vehicle
Joseph has wasted no time charting a new course, announcing the formation of the People’s Action Party (PAP), which he describes as a “mass-based revolutionary” movement aimed at delivering “total relief” from Liberia’s challenges. “Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Let’s put our faith in action,” he posted on social media, urging Liberians to join PAP ahead of 2029.
Documents reviewed by The Liberian Investigator confirm preparations for the party’s launch. Political observers, including former Senator Milton Teahjay and ex-Solicitor General Sayma Cephus, say Joseph’s departure leaves the CDC’s future uncertain, especially as other senior members have quietly distanced themselves from the party.
Cracks in the CDC
Since losing the presidency in 2023, the CDC has been rocked by internal instability. Its coalition with the National Patriotic Party and the Liberia People’s Democratic Party, the alliance that propelled Weah to power in 2017, collapsed after the loss. The party’s Congo Town headquarters is under threat of eviction, and its leadership has been accused by former members of running the CDC as a closed club dominated by a few voices.
Dr. Lester Tenny, a longtime member who left after the election, described the party’s leadership model as “eccentric,” saying it alienated rank-and-file members. The CDC also suffered heavy midterm election losses in 2020, winning only the seat Joseph now holds.
Skepticism over motives
Not everyone is convinced Joseph’s revelations are in the public interest. U.S.-based Liberian lawyer Cllr. Varney Taylor called them “belated” and politically self-serving. “Why didn’t he speak then? Any reasonable person will know that Senator Saah Joseph is a typical politician going after his own interest,” Taylor wrote on Facebook, speculating that Joseph could be positioning himself for a vice-presidential run in 2029.
Critics have also questioned Joseph’s rapid accumulation of wealth since entering politics, pointing to his ownership of schools, a college, and commercial vehicles. Joseph says Montserrado residents attend his schools for free, but detractors see his career as benefiting personally from Liberia’s political spoils.
By Liberian Investigator.
