By By The People News Online
Monrovia, Liberia — A social media post by David Dorr Cooper, former Nimba County Superintendent and current Political Advisor to Vice President Jeremiah Koung, has sparked a political firestorm, drawing sharp condemnation from the Citizens’ Movement for Change (CMC), which branded his remarks as “reckless, dangerous, and reminiscent of Liberia’s darkest days.”
In a Facebook post Cooper accused businessman and politician Musa Hassan Bility of undermining Nimba County’s unity, comparing his political activities to what he termed as past “attacks” on the county during the civil wars of the 1990s and early 2000s. “During these attacks, Nimbaians stood up united and defeated their common enemies and we will defeat it any day,” Cooper wrote, warning that depriving Nimba of national representation was akin to “subjecting us to slavery.”
The post, which invoked memories of wartime divisions and referenced the 2003 rebel incursion into Ganta, described Nimba’s political leadership as sacred and suggested that any attempt to challenge it would be met with collective resistance. “The unity of our beloved county will never be undermined, neither will you divide us,” Cooper concluded.
The CMC, in a swift and strongly worded press release on Monday, October 6, 2025, condemned Cooper’s statements as inflammatory and unbecoming of a public official. Signed by the organization’s Media and Communications Director, Smith M. Toby, the statement accused Cooper of using war-era rhetoric to intimidate political opponents and reignite old wounds among Liberians.
“The Citizens’ Movement for Change (CMC) categorically condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the reckless and dangerous statement attributed to Mr. David Dorr Cooper,” the release read. “A character like Mr. Cooper, whose public record is marred by impropriety and a grotesque reputation as a mass murderer of Nimbians during the civil war, has no moral standing to participate in civilized national discourse.”
The CMC described Cooper as a “symbol of death and destruction,” alleging that his academic and wartime record disqualifies him from influencing modern Liberian politics. The group further accused Vice President Koung of tacitly endorsing Cooper’s divisive conduct, saying his silence amounts to approval.
“Mr. Cooper’s outlandish statement, clearly sanctioned by the Vice President of Liberia, sends waves of terror across a nation still recovering from the horrors of the civil war in which he led a life of carnage,” the release continued.
CMC defended Musa Hassan Bility, who it said was being unfairly targeted for exercising his constitutional rights. “Hon. Musa Hassan Bility is a proud Nimbian who, like every citizen, enjoys the constitutional right to aspire for leadership,” the group maintained. “He has the same rights and liberties as every Liberian, including those who currently hold political office.”
Emphasizing that the people of Nimba are “rejecting manipulation and intimidation,” CMC argued that the county’s political culture has evolved beyond fear-based leadership. “Gone are the days when leaders treated Nimbians like cattle or managed the county as their personal farm. The eyes of the people are open,” the group stated.
CMC reaffirmed its mission to promote inclusive governance and social justice, pledging to continue advocating for peace and national unity. “We will not be distracted or intimidated,” the movement vowed. “We are here for the people and by the people—to change lives, develop communities, and build a Liberia anchored on justice, equality, and the rule of law.”
The escalating war of words between Cooper and CMC underscores growing political tension in Nimba County—one of Liberia’s most politically charged regions. Observers say the episode exposes long-standing fault lines between traditional power blocs and emerging reform movements like the CMC.
