Neither Grants Nor Declines Issuing Peremptory Writ Prayed For By Embattled Speaker Koffa
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Today’s ruling by the full bench of Liberia’s Supreme Court in the case of the protracted leadership saga at the House of Representative has drawn conflicting conclusions from both blocs—embattled Speaker Cllr. Fonati Koffa and the “majority bloc” that recently announced his ousting and election of a new Speaker, Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon.
The Supreme Court decided to neither grant nor decline issuing peremptory writ of mandamus embattled Speaker Koffa had prayed for, saying that given the separation of power doctrine in the country’s constitution it cannot do for the House/Legislature what It should do for itself
Handing down its ruling at the Temple of Justice on Friday, December 6m 2024, Chief Justice Yuoh urged Lawmakers of the lower House to go back to the Capitol Building and resolve their leadership wrangling that has been going on for well over a month now,
Constitution is void of the method on how minority members can compel other members to attend session
In her ruling Chief Justice Yuoh cited Articles 33 and 49 of the Liberian constitution:
Article 33: “Simple majority of each House shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a lower number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members. Whenever the House of Representatives and the Senate shall meet in joint session, the presiding officer of the House of Representatives shall preside.”
Article 49: “The House of Representative shall elect once every six years a Speaker who shall be the presiding officer of that body, a Deputy Speaker, and such other officers as shall ensure the proper functioning of the House. The speaker, the Deputy Speaker and other officers so elected may be removed from office for cause by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House.”
Embattled Speaker Koffa in a statement issued after the Supreme Court’s ruling urged his colleagues to join him in running a ‘single House of Representatives’.
He promised to rededicate efforts to unite the House and called on all Representatives to go to work and do the people’s work
Rep. Yekeh Kolubah, a member of Koffa’s bloc sees the court’s ruling as being in favour of his side.
“The Supreme Court has spoken. Speaker Koffa is a reconciler and he will unite the House,” Montserrado County District # 10 Rep. Kolubah told Journalists Friday.
However, some members of the “majority bloc” thinks the Supreme Court’s ruling has endorsed their action to remove Speaker Koffa.