Holding Liberia Hostage -As Speakership Battle Drags On

For wrong reasons, Liberia’s 55^th House of Representatives continues to be screenshot, reflecting negative image and eroding the level of confidence reposed in elected lawmakers who vowed to represent, demonstrate oversight and make laws during their six years’ term.

Nearing the close of 2024, the first year of the current Unity Party-led administration being steered by President Joseph Nyuma boakai, power struggle descended on the Lower House to repeat what the country witnessed during the twelfth years of the very Unity Party under the presidency of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Liberian lawyer- Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa became the target for removal from the current House speakership, as the case was in 2006 and 2016 when under the UP-led government, now Bomi County Senators- Edwin Melvin Snowe and Alex Jenekai Tyler were removed from the top portfolio of the Lower House.  Unfolding developments in the Koffa’s removal tussle are said to be the same Snowe and Tyler faced as accusing fingers have often been pointed at the Executive Branch of government for allegedly using cash as inducement in removing speaker. Though there are two sides of the coins- those supporting the removal of embattled Speaker Koffa who has been declared legitimate by the Supreme Court recent ruling in the very speakership saga on the one hand, while others are supporting Representative Richard Nagbe Koon’s Majority Bloc on the other hand. However, there are strong indications that the speaker’s removal trend does not seem to yield expected outcome for those supporting the move, even though the Executive is allegedly leaning on the side of the Majority Bloc. Liberians on the average see legislative works at the Capitol Building being stalled by the speakership dispute between the two opposing parties as coordination is lacking amongst the seventy-three lawmakers representing Liberia’s seventy three Electoral Districts.

In spite of declaring support to work with a quorum in the wake of the crisis in the Lower House, President Boakai acknowledged the division in the House of Representatives being unresolved, a situation he noted, undermines public confidence in one of Liberia’s most vital democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, latest information gathered yesterday in Monrovia indicated that while rejecting the Supreme Court ruling against its actions in ‘illegally’ steering the affairs of the House of Representatives, the Majority Bloc of Representative Koon has reportedly filed a petition at the very court for retrial appertaining to the speaker removal related-case.

Video photos have also shown the tearing down of Koon’s images on Capitol Building denouncing his speakership, while reportedly, Representative Koon is said to have ordered locked, the office door of embattled Speaker Koffa to bar him from entering.

It still remains uncertain how the impasse will be climaxed as public opinions on the crisis continue to shift without any sound of compromise because Koffa remains resolute, demanding that the right things be done while Koon insists that Koffa must resign.