Monrovia, Liberia – The Alternative National Congress has thrown its support behind Liberia’s intensified fight against illicit drugs while warning that the credibility of the campaign will ultimately depend on whether the government applies the law equally to political allies, opponents, security officials and ordinary citizens.
In a statement issued in Monrovia on August 24, ANC Secretary General Desmond U. Nimely said the country cannot afford to allow the investigation into an alleged transnational cocaine network to become a partisan contest.
The party’s statement came amid heightened attention surrounding the arrest of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, whose detention and prosecution have become a major political and legal issue in Liberia.
Rather than calling for an end to the investigation, the ANC said authorities should widen it.
The opposition party said the enormous quantities of narcotics allegedly moving through Liberia represent a threat that requires the government to identify every person involved, regardless of their political connections or government position.
The ANC described the trafficking of massive quantities of illegal drugs as a serious national security and public health threat, particularly because of its potential impact on Liberia’s youth.
But the party warned that the government could undermine public confidence in the anti-drug campaign if citizens believe that law enforcement is being used selectively.
The ANC said Howard-Taylor, as a former vice president and opposition leader, is entitled to the full protection of the Constitution, including due process and the presumption of innocence.
It stressed that allegations against her must be tested in court and not decided through public opinion.
That position, however, was paired with an equally strong demand that the government pursue any other individuals who may emerge from the investigation.
The ANC pointed to statements attributed to LNP Inspector General Gregory Coleman, saying he had publicly indicated that current senior government officials were implicated in the matter.
For the ANC, such claims create an obvious test for the government.
If evidence points toward individuals connected to the current administration, the party argued, those individuals should face the same scrutiny as opposition figures.
The party said the investigation should therefore not stop at the people allegedly involved in transporting or possessing narcotics.
Instead, it should seek to establish the broader structure of the alleged operation and determine who may have facilitated it.
The ANC’s demands include an independent and credible investigation, following evidence regardless of political affiliation, equal application of the law, protection of constitutional rights and full transparency about the scope of the alleged narcotics operation.
The party also warned against allowing Liberia’s political divisions to influence criminal justice.
“Political opponents must be defeated at the ballot box through superior ideas and competent leadership, not through the weaponization or selective use of state institutions,” the ANC said.
That argument places the Howard-Taylor case within a wider question about institutional credibility.
For the ANC, the issue is not whether Liberia should pursue drug traffickers. The party says it should.
The issue is whether the government can demonstrate that the pursuit is impartial.
The ANC said the government must be prepared to investigate individuals regardless of whether they are associated with the former CDC administration, the current Unity Party government or Liberia’s security institutions.
The party’s position was endorsed by National Chairman Cllr. Lafayette E.O. Gould, signaling that the call for an independent investigation represents the leadership’s official position.
The ANC concluded with a direct appeal for justice to remain above partisan politics.
“No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection,” the party said.
The statement effectively challenges the government to prove that Liberia’s ongoing cocaine investigation can deliver two things simultaneously: a determined assault on transnational narcotics networks and an impartial justice process that treats every suspect according to the same standard.
