Koffa Responds to Threats to Vacate Office Space -‘Obtain My Office Illegally as You Obtained Speakership,’ He Retorts

MONROVIA – Following months of legal and extrajudicial wranglings to unconstitutionally remove him as Speaker of the House of Representatives, embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa on January 31, 2025, responded to a communication from Chief Clerk Mildred Sayon asking him to relocate his personal effects or else.

It can be recalled, House Clerk Mildred Sayon on January 30, 2025, wrote Cllr. Koffa based on a directive from the Honorable House of Representatives requesting him to remove all of his personal belongings from the offices of the Speaker.

The Chief Clerk wrote: “Given the urgency of this call, you are to act accordingly in the next five (5) days, as of the date of today, January 30, 2025. This mandate is predicated upon a report of the House’s Committee on Rules, Order and Administration regarding your persistent and sustained refusal to empty the offices of the Speaker of your belongings and personal effects. Your usurpation of the offices of the Speaker is embarrassing Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon and staff and at the same time impeding the execution of their official duties.

“Since your removal as Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Rules, Order and Administration (ROA), has reportedly served you four (4) separate communications to the effect that you should remove your personal properties from the offices of the Speaker and turn over the keys thereto, as a way if enabling Speaker Koon and his staff to adequately serve the public. In spite of these efforts, the Committee has reported that you have purposefully refused to honor their calls.”

The communication continued: “In view of your refusal to adhere to the mandate of the Plenary, the House of Representatives has communicated with the Ministry of Justice who advised that the House serves you one final letter to vacate the premises within five (5) days, failure to which would invite the intervention of the state security personnel to remove your things in the open glare of the media and the civil society. In consideration of the issues mentioned supra, the House is left with the final option of submitting this missive as the final official communication from the Plenary of the House of Representative (IN SESSION ASSEMBLED) on the subject contained herein.”

The communication was copied to Justice Minister Oswald Tweh, the gentleman who interpreted the verdict of the Supreme Court in the case Koffa Vs. the Koung et all in favor of the Koung.

Koffa Responds

Responding to House Clerk Sayon’s communication, Cllr. Koffa acknowledged that he is in possession of a letter transmitted to him via the WhatsApp account of Hon. James Kolleh.

He wrote to the Clerk: “The letter, supposedly written by you, purports to inform me of a decision by the plenary of the House of Representatives regarding the status of the office I am currently occupying.

“My understanding is that the plenary of the majority bloc voted on Thursday, January 30, 2025, to defer its committee report regarding this matter to Tuesday, February 4, 2025. If this is the case, then your letter, purporting to obtain instructions from the plenary, is an unlawful usurpation of the function and authority of the people’s elected representatives.”

Koffa continued: “Please inform those who instructed you to write such a letter that they should obtain the office in the same manner as they obtained the speakership – illegally and with the force of the executive. I believe, according to the so-called committee report, the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, whose interpretation of events got us to this point, has already outlined a pathway to complete the illegal action.  I will not respond to anyone further on this issue.”