House Coup Plotters Face Popular Resistance -CDC ‘Judases’ Grilled, GoL Denies Bribing, Koffa Survival Pending

MONROVIA – The latter days of last week was full of anxieties, fears and anger amongst Liberians, both ordinary and prominent citizens, as the public space exploded with reports that members of the House of Representatives were embroiled in a firefight over attempts by some to overthrow their leader, Speaker J. Fonati Koffa of Grand Kru County. What appears to be the resolution calling for Koffa’s ejection from the revered post leaked, unveiling that over 50 percent of House members had acquiesced – signing up to a removal resolution reportedly lured by bribes. But as the weekend closed in, particularly as a result of a barrage of searing censures from the public, the number of signees (coup plotters) is receding, and Speaker Koffa may be on the way of surviving a well-planned coup d’etat. The Analyst reports.

Long-lingering rumors since the birth of the 55^th Legislature and the advent of the Unity Party administration ten months running – that a bounty was out for the “head” of House Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa – saw the light of day last week when the resolution to overthrow him surfaced in the public glare with some 47 of his colleagues signing in to the coup d’état.

Koffa had consistently played down, if not denied, such a move, perhaps thinking that apolitical, “nationalist” stances towards the governing Unity Party and its initial excesses, would spare him the political dagger of the UP. Even as calls from his supporters at home mounted on him to cut-short his Rome, Italy visit, and to return quickly as to repel a raging rebellion, he played cool, having photo-fares with the Roman Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis at the Vatican.

What he little knew and which might have shocked the public was that, amongst the plotters were “Brutuses” also – ranking members of Koffa’s Coalition for Democratic Change, armed to the teeth, grimly determined to overthrow him fast, at the speed of light, in abstentia.

There were reports, including confessions by some of the signees of resolution containing grievances of the conspirators, that the efforts by the connivers were underpinned by a lucrative bait—total of $25,000, an advance $15,000 allegedly provided agents of the governing Unity Party.

The exposure of the coup and all the controversies that characterized it provoked pugnacious public outrage. While the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) was barking at its House members suspected of being co-authors of the plot to oust their own political kin and kith, the general public, largely independent advocates, alarmed by leak news of bribery, unleashed venoms at the plotters.

CDC Barks at “Brutuses”

As the public space got charged during the week after anti-Koffa coup news broke, much noise came out from several quarters of former ruling CDC, as partisans contended that a couple of their representatives had also signed unto the resolution.

A principal target was Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah, who according to reporters, was aiding and abetting the coup, allegedly jointly along with Vice President Jeremiah Coup, was dishing of cash to colleagues for the overthrow of Koffa.

Representative Koffa has consistently denied the accusation but all the denials did little to save him from grueling condemnations on the media, the jeering at public functions and even attempted attack on his person.

Social media videos conveyed how the Deputy House Speaker was booed and chased out the headquarters of the CDC where he and other ranking members of the party had gone to attend a called meeting with Executive Committee to discuss news of the House coup and CDC lawmaker’s role in it.

Other videos showed Fallah thunderously jeered at on the compound of the Capitol Building by apparent staffers of other CDC lawmakers and roaming “militants” of the party.

The political leader of the party, former President George Manneh Weah, had harsh words not only for members of the party rumored to be part of the anti-Koffa rebellion but also for his successor, President Boakai and his Unity Party.

In a statement issued, the former President who was out of the Liberia said: ““To the members of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) legislative caucus, I warn and urge you to stand firmly against this insidious plot. Do not allow yourselves to be swayed by pecuniary gains and the siren song of those who seek to destabilize our governance process for their own selfish interests.

The former president declared that the participation in the plot against Koffa by CDCian House members “will not only betray the trust of your constituents but will also carry dire significant political consequences for your future within our party and in the eyes of the Liberian people”.

Turning on to Boaka and the UP, Weah said: “It has come to my attention that the Unity Party-led government, under President Joseph Boakai, is making a concerted and criminal effort to undermine our democratic and constitutional institutions.”

The former President further asserted that the Unity Party was prosecuting the ensuing coup “by using ill-gotten funds from the National Coffers to influence the unjust removal of Speaker of the House, Honorbale J. Fonati Koffa. It is a blatant act of political chicanery that not only threatens the integrity of the Liberian constitutional legislative process, but also sets a dangerous precedence for governance in our beloved nation”.

He concluded: “I want to make it unequivocally clear: such actions will not be tolerated. The attempt to manipulate the legislative branch for partisan gain is a direct affront to the principles of democracy and the will of the people.”

Boakai, UP Deny Involvement

The Unity Party has been affirming its innocence to allegations of funding and orchestrating the Koffa removal from office. In a statement issued to the media last week, the UP said it “categorically rejects link to plot on Capitol Hill to remove House Speaker, Honorable J. Fonati Koffa, deflecting the blame and putting it at the feet of the CDC.

“We believe that the purported plot to remove Speaker Koffa from his leadership role looks more like an internal power struggle within the CDC orchestrated by Mr. Weah. This is why Mr. Weah has been quick to deflect attention from himself to the Boakai-led Government.”

UP accused Weah for fighting proxy battles against prominent leaders within the CDC so as to cement himself as the party’s demigod rather than allow others to gain political prominence.

Tornado of Public Outrage

Despite the right of members of the House of Representatives to remove any of their chosen/elected colleagues from office, including the Speaker, in line with their rules, the attempt by some members of the House in the 55th Legislature has bumped into a tornado of public outrage.

Liberians have been particularly angry over news that the coup plotters were lured by heavy cash that could be used to help improve conditions of social service infrastructures – schools, clinics and roads – for the impoverished majority of citizens.

The receipt of bribe to dethrone a colleague and leaders, many Liberians say, is shameful, reckless and rejectable, which is why apparently their grievances against Koffa are overshadowed and downplayed by a bulk of the public.

Others contend that the plotters’ true intent is to squash and evade austerity measures being put into place, including an audit of the Legislature, to allow the long-opaque First Branch of Government lent itself to transparency, accountability and growth in its policies and actions.

Media headlines and commentaries, including radio talk shows and social media posts about the House mutiny, as others call it, are common in condemning the coup and the plotters, with many calling it a subversion powered by greed, deceit and democratic tendencies.

Coup In Reverse Gears

Meanwhile, all the intense public outcries and strategic anti-coup maneuvers by House Speaker Koffa and his forces have put the revolt against him in reverse gears, as reports emerged over the weekend that several lawmakers had rescinded their signatures and support to the resolution to remove their leader.

For instance, Representative Mathew Joe, denying taking bribe, said his initial support for the Speaker’s removal was prompted by the close proximity of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the Executive (the President of Liberia), “which I believe is unnecessary” calling on the Speaker “not be a regime collaborator or aligned too closely” with the power that be.

“I, Hon. Matthew Joe, hereby announce the rescinding of my signature from the resolution calling for the removal of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and reaffirm my full support for Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature”.

Up to press time, The Analyst learned that the House Speaker had successful survived the coup, as droves of signees like Representative Joe, rescinding their support, revoking their signatures on petition/resolution.

Pundits have given credit to one particular representative, Luther Collins of Gbarpolu County, who acted as undercover agent, infiltrated the cabal of plotters, extracted vital information from them, including the signed resolution and released it to the public.

It was he who give official traction to the spreading rumors that legislators were lured by US$15,000 each to support Speaker Koffa’s ouster and that a balance of US$10000 each was to be received had the coup succeeded.

Also helping to significantly backpedal the mutiny are CDC representatives – those considered heroes in the prevention of the coup – are Frank Saah of Montserrrado, Marvin Cole of Bong County, and Rep. Saah Foko of Montserrado County, D.J. Blue of Montserrado.

On fateful day of Thursday, 17 October 2024, when the plotters were ready to formalize and execute their designs in the absence of Speaker Koffa who was then out of the country, it took the combined rowdy, gallant stance of those lawmakers and their allies in the House to frustrate the move, to prevent a formal seating of the House at which the would have kicked out Koffa.

Saah Foko and colleagues successively disrupted the holding of session by the House in the absence of Koffa, demanded that the chambers of the Plenary be closed to deliberations until the arrival of the Speaker in country.

Without an option, the plotters convened outside of the chambers in open space, read their petition and vowed to pursue the implementation of their design.

That Koffa is reportedly in town now, according to reporters, and a possible showdown expected this week, pundits are unanimous in the view that he has clearly survived, though not out of the woods.

Reportedly, nearly 10 of the 47 representatives who had signed unto the Koffa removal resolution have rescinded over the weekend and the number of the latter-day anti-coup plotters is rising.

There are 73 representatives, and assuming all are well, active and present in-country, it would require little or half of the number 36 to 37 of them to remove the speaker.

The public space is still frosty and topsy-turvy but there are House insiders who still maintain that with Koffa’s presence on ground, aided by the crushing blow already dealt to the last Thursday coup-day, and the unpopularity generated because the coup is fueled by bribery and attempt to evade transparency and accountability, all assurances are that Koffa will prevail.