Explainer: Did Weah Call for "Thousands" of Supporters to Rally at Court?
Exiled Liberian activist Martin K.N. Kollie took to social media to criticize the turnout of supporters who accompanied former President George Weah to the Monrovia City Court and CDC Party Headquarters on June 9, 2025.
Kollie's posted that despite Weah's alleged call for "thousands" of supporters via radio stations, the former president appeared at both locations with significantly fewer supporters than promised, with no traffic disruptions occurring.
Kollie's posted that despite Weah's alleged call for "thousands" of supporters via radio stations, the former president appeared at both locations with significantly fewer supporters than promised, with no traffic disruptions occurring.
The claim references a special edition of "Political Talk" hosted by pro-opposition media personalities, broadcast live on Voice of Liberia and other stations. The seven-hour interview featured former President George Weah, former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, ANC Political Leader Alexander B. Cummings, CMC Political Leader Musa Hassan Bility, and Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah. Access to the announcement of the radio show can be found here, here and here.
The court appearance was related to charges against five lawmakers, including former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, over their alleged involvement in the December 2024 Capitol building arson case. The incident occurred during the House of Representatives impasse and resulted in significant damage to the Joint Chambers.
On June 6, 2025, the Liberia National Police charged five of the seven lawmakers who had been invited for investigation. Four CDC-affiliated lawmakers spent time in detention—one night at LNP Headquarters and two nights at Monrovia Central Prison. A female lawmaker was released due to a lack of appropriate facilities.
Verification : Stage Media reviewed the live radio broadcast referenced in Kollie's claim, specifically examining the segment from 4:17:30 to 4:34:45 when Weah was interviewed .
Freedom FM journalist Kyne Oliver Kyne asked, "Mr. Former President, other political leaders who spoke before you said that they are going to be assembling with their partisans tomorrow; you are the political leader of the CDC; will Liberians see you at the court tomorrow? If so, will you be going to the court with your partisans?"
"Well, we will be at the Court tomorrow and we are inviting all our citizens, CDCians, etc., to turn out peacefully tomorrow to show support to our legislative caucus," former president Weah.
While former President Weah did call for supporters to demonstate solidarity with the detained lawmakers, our review of the radio broadcast found no evidence that he specifically requested "thousands" of supporters to attend.
Weah's actual statement was a general invitation for "all our citizens, CDCians, etc., to turn out peacefully" without specifying any numerical target.
Conclusion : Martin Kollie's claim that George Weah called for "thousands" of supporters is misleading. The claim appears to be an exaggeration of Weah's actual statement, which was a general call for peaceful support without any specific numerical reference.
