PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR HOUSE SPEAKER ELECTION -Koffa Set to Resign today, Citizens Demand Election

MONROVIA – With final the Supreme Court ruling of April 23, 2023 outlawing the intrusive “majority bloc”, and as Speaker J. Fonati Koffa is poised to resign his post as Speaker of the House of Representatives today, expectations are high that final closure to the debacle is near. Everyone hope there will be election for a new speaker as a logical transitional path. But despite these developments, there are reports that fierce political maneuverings are taking place as to continue to grandstand and circumvent elections, and to use unorthodox processes to perpetuate the illegal House regime and conflict. This has triggered a barrage of denunciations, and threats of protest from citizens, if the representatives refuse to legitimize and constitutionalize the House leadership. The Analyst reports.

As legislators return to the Capitol this week, the nation and the wider world are bracing themselves for a showdown at the 55^th National Legislature where the House of Representatives will be deciding whether they would be perpetuating their leadership brouhaha with persistent bickering and illegalities, or will end it with common sense solutions and constitutionality.

It can be recalled the House wing of the Legislature got embroiled into leadership dispute when in late 2024, a group of lawmakers calling themselves “Majority Bloc” signed a resolution to oust Speaker Koffa on the alleged basis that they had lost confidence in him.

Supreme Court Ruling

 On April 23, 2025, the Supreme Court clarified an earlier ruling on the legal statuses of both Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa and “regime speaker” Richard Koon based on a petition filed by Koffa complaining of his “illegal” removal by some of his legislative colleagues.

When the High Court gave its first ruling, both parties celebrated, understanding it to be that their gatherings and actions were ultra vires.

Koffa again filed a bill of information as to what the Supreme Court actually meant in that first ruling, and then on April 23, the Court clarified and again outlawed the actions of the “majority bloc”.

Post-ruling Maneuvers

The pronouncement of the opinion by the High Court clearly recognized Koffa, but who obviously lacks the numbers to convene sessions of the House, thus leaving the ‘majority bloc’ with some window of influence to grandstand against the ruling.

Meanwhile, it is gathered that Koffa will likely resign the speaker post but sources say he disinclined do anything that gives credence to the majority bloc which has viciously stampeded all over the place, including withholding salaries and emoluments of fellow legislative colleagues who align with Koffa, and taking pro-Koffa lawmakers from prominent legislative leadership posts, amongst other things.

Reportedly, an offshoot of Koffa’s ‘minority bloc’, known as the Rule of Law Caucus has submitted a resolution through former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – their version in how to break the impasse.

They, amongst other things, have asked Koffa to submit a resignation once the “majority bloc” acquiesces to the terms of the resolution which, inter alia, calls for new House speakership election, under the gavel of Deputy Speaker, a member of the “majority bloc”.

As members of the House of Representatives prepare for work this week, and for session this Tuesday, there are reports that ‘majority bloc’ has been inducing many more lawmakers from Koffa’s bloc in an apparent bid weaponize their number to evade and shelve the High Court ruling and maintain ‘regime speaker’ Richard Nagbe Koon as their leader.

Multiple sources have indicated that monies were changing hands last week – the Koon bloc attempting to woo more lawmakers, keep him as the speaker without going through electoral process.       

Citizens Mount Pressure

Aware that this week, particularly starting from Tuesday, will be decisive for the lawmakers and the nation, The Analyst during the weekend sent out roving reporters into the streets and communities to sample citizens’ views on how they want the conflict in the House to end, and what the lawmakers should do.

Most of those spoken to say the way out of the standoff is to have new election for speaker, indicating commonly that election is the most democratic thing to do, and anyone who has the number and appeal amongst colleagues must prevail.

“For me, I want the lawmakers to elect a new speaker, Koff and Koon must all sit down and shouldn’t contest,” said Martha B. Samukai, a market women said. “The noise in the country is too much, and it is from just one group of people—lawmakers. This is undermining the development that President Boakai supposed to be doing, and all the years are passing by without letting him do his work in peace. We’re tire.”    

A communication booth manager, Senecee Parley, Jr., said: “I don’t understand why Representative Koon is afraid to go for elections if Hon. Koffa is willing to give way. I just can’t rap my head around it. He contested in 2024, and lost with just a small margin. He came into the political realm and, in no time, he was able to get the affection of most of his colleagues. With the majority he has, or claim to have, I think he can win. Or is he telling us that the number that constitute the majority bloc is fake – unreliable?”

“This week, the lawmakers must expect mass people’s action at the Capitol. We have been giving them too much latitude and deference they don’t deserve. The time is now,” said Timothy D. Masseh, Sr., a grassroots civil society mobilizer. “Right now, we are combing the communities – New Georgia, Bardnersville, Logan Town, New Kru Town, Jacob Town, all the communities – to converge at the Legislature, block all the entrances to the building, have a sit in, until the conflict is ended through nothing else but election.”

Another official of their Movement for Democracy and Peace (MODEP), chief spokesman of the pending rally, added: “Since October last year, we, the citizens and taxpayers, paid these dishonorable lawmakers, giving them good life while we suffer. What we got in return for the monies they used to feed their family, build decent homes, own expensive cars, etc., while the vast masses of our people wallow in neglect and squalor? In fact, they can be charged for labor theft, for being paid and not working at all. Enough is Enough. If they know what we know, let them end the crisis this week, for any signal of prolongation is tantamount to their own disgrace.

MODEP spokesperson James Varney Konneh continued: “Should we ask them to end the impasse by one group imposing their will on their colleagues? Or should they have fresh elections? We say election is the most sensible way out, and going to the Capitol this week, our message will be clear: ‘Hold elections now, right now or you have yourself to blame. Give them this message from the masses.”

One of the few persons who think election for a new speaker at the House is Josephine S.N. Mulbah, who contends that Richard Koon did not become Speaker without election.

She asked: “Where were those Liberians calling for speaker election when the majority bloc held election and voted in Representative Koon. Where were they? Was it done in the dark? Because of the Supreme Court ruling, and if it is true that Koffa has finally heard the whistle of the hunter, all that is needed is for the ‘majority bloc’ to issue a resolution to affirm and confirm Mr. Koon. All that headache about election will bring more confusion and perhaps prolong the crisis.”