Liberia’s oldest political, True Whig Party faces internal strife amid a recent vote of no confidence expressed its national chairman Reginald B. Goodridge.
By: Naneka A. Hoffman
Monrovia, Liberia, May 7, 2025 – The National Chairman of the True Whig Party (TWP), Reginald B. Goodridge, has issued a sharp response to a recent vote of no confidence initiated by some suspended party members.
The vote, which took place during a high-level meeting in Monrovia, centered on allegations of Mr. Goodridge’s failure to convene a national convention, despite his tenure expired following the 2023 general and presidential elections.
About 20 members of the party’s National Executive Committee, including former Standard Bearer Eric Olison, alongside county chairpersons and national officers, co-signed a statement that called for Goodridge’s removal.
They accused him of neglecting to uphold the party’s constitutional requirement for national conventions every six years, a lapse they believe has weakened the party’s structure and diminished its national influence.
Prominent signatories to the statement include National Chairlady, Hawa Johnson; Youth Chair Dukuly Mambu, and several county leaders: Adolphus Capehart, Seton Sackor, Varney Sando, Richard Bracewell, Ezekiel Berge, Emmanuel Gono, Moses P. Bombo, and Moses S. Mulbah.
In response to the vote, the Executive Committee is expected to appoint an acting chairperson to guide the TWP towards its next national convention, which is set for October 30, 2025.
The party has formally requested the presence of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to oversee the planned convention to ensure a transparent and credible process.
During a press conference on May 6, 2026, former National Treasurer, S. Barbington Coleman, expressed disappointment in the actions taken by the aggrieved party members, emphasizing that targeting Chairman Goodridge is unjust, as all party positions have remained vacant at the county level since the elections in 2023.
Coleman stated, “Some of these individuals claiming to be executives are currently serving suspensions.”
He highlighted ongoing plans for the national convention, which is expected to take place in July, contrasting claims made by the dissenting members that it would be in October.
Coleman urged party members to refrain from allowing themselves to be divided by individuals seeking to exploit internal tensions, stating that Goodridge is not refusing to take the TWP to convention.
He reassured party members that the July national convention is firmly on track, but emphasized the importance of unity among party members in this critical moment of the True Whig Party.
The True Whig Party (TWP), also known as the Liberian Whig Party (LWP), is the oldest political party in Liberia and in the entire Africa. Founded in 1869 by primarily darker-skinned Americo-Liberians, its historic rival was the Republican Party. But following the decline of the latter, it dominated Liberian politics from 1878 until 1980. The nation was virtually governed as a one-party state under the TWP, though opposition parties were never outlawed. Editing by Jonathan Browne
