Rep. Bility Defends ‘House Integrity’ -Says Other Efforts to Resolve House Crisis Won’t Affect Legal Options

MONROVIA – Stalemate continues to mar the resolution of power struggles that hit the House of Representatives as a result of attempts by a group of lawmakers to oust their leader, Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa. The mutinous segment, claiming to be ‘majority bloc’, has been holding official business in a local hotel away from the seat of power, the Capitol Building, where Speaker Koffa and supporters are meeting without quorum. As the sister wing, the Senate, strives to intervene, Koffa’s writ of prohibition has caused the High Court to place a ‘stay order’ on the agitating lawmakers’ meeting outside House chambers. In all the maneuvers, a pro-Koffa lawmaker, Nimba County representative Musa Hassan Bility sees the integrity of the House and rule of law as sacrosanct, and he is putting all and sundry on notice that the legal option remains to most logical thing to do in acquiring a honorable resolution to impasse. The Analyst reports.

Both parties in the struggle for supremacy at the House of Representatives are facing pressures to deescalate and find an amicable solution. While the Koffa leadership is asked to submit to mediation efforts embarked upon by the House of Senate and other interveners, the ‘majority bloc’ seeking the Speaker’s removal are concurrently asked by other forces, including the Supreme Court, to disengage and sit around the peace table.

One person who feels highly strongly that the rule of law process is the most plausible option towards lasting settlement of the dispute is Nimba County representative Musa Hassan Bility.

In a comment on his social media page, Bility said: “Our demand for a legal interpretation of our laws, in light of attempts to bypass them, will not be compromised for political gain. This issue extends beyond Speaker Koffa; it directly impacts the stability of our Democratic Institution.”

According to Bility, the “minority bloc’ that is currently in session at the official chambers of the House of Representatives, has voted to invoke Article 33 of the Constitution, and that it is only that body that can withdraw the decision while in session.

“No such withdrawal has occurred,” Bility said in apparently response to rumors that Speaker Koffa had withdrawn the writ of prohibition filed at the Supreme Court.

“We are actively pursuing multiple avenues to resolve the impasse in the House amicably, but we will not sacrifice the integrity of our laws or set the stage for further conflict in the future,” he Nimba lawmaker said.

 Senate Constitutes Mediation Team

Meanwhile the Liberian Senate has set up a mediation committee to mediate between, the two groups at the House of Representatives.

According to a release, the Senate feels that the resolution of the matter between the aggrieved members of the House of Representatives and House speaker, Fonati Koffa is in the interest of peace and to ensure a stable Legislature for democratic governance.

The committee was constituted Thursday October 24, 2024, by the Liberian Senate during a consultative meeting.

Those appointed to the committee include Gbehzohngar Findley of Grand Bassa County, as Chairman, and River Cess Senator Wellington Gevon Smith as Co-chairman.

Other appointed on the Committee as members are Grand Gedeh County Senator, Thomos Yaya Nimely; Maryland County Senator, J. Gbleh-bo Brown, and Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Dabah M. Varplilah.

Writ of Prohibition

The House Speaker Fonati Koffa, represented by his legal team, submitted a writ of Prohibition to the Supreme Court aimed at halting the anti-Koffa faction from holding independent sessions.

In his petition, Speaker Koffa asserted that the separate session convened by his colleagues was unlawful and sought the Court’s intervention.

Despite reports indicating that he had retracted the writ after the Senate of Liberia intervened, it was also reported on the weekend that the High Court had already acted on the writ, placing a stay order on the rebellious section of the House.

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