Is This The Beginning Of The End To The Long-Running House Leadership Battle?
FLASHBACK When Koffa appointed Koon to chair House Inaugural Committee back then
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Will this Wednesday be the judicial beginning of the end to the months of leadership feud that has engulfed the lower House of Representatives of the 54th Legislature that has reduced Liberian lawmakers in this body to laughing-stock in many quarters? Many have been comically saying, “one House with two Speakers”, since in fact embattled Speaker Fonati Koffa is yet to resign, while the rival “Majority bloc” has since elected Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon as Speaker.
Indeed, all eyes are set on the Supreme Court of Liberia to give what is seen as a final verdict on the rift at the House of Representative over who is the legitimate Speaker in line with the country’s constitution. All Eyes Set On Liberia’s Supreme Court For Verdict On Embattled Speaker Koffa Latest Bill Of Information – News Public Trust
Now, the full Bench of the Supreme Court of has set this Wednesday March 26,2025 for the hearing embattled Speaker J. Fonati Kofa from the minority bloc Bill of Information and the majority bloc headed by its purported speaker Richard Koon @11 am.
On December 6,2024, the High court ruled and left everyone confused as to who the ruling favor or not.
Days after this ruling by the highest court in the land, J. Fonati Kofa embattled Speaker filed a bill of information accusing the majority bloc and the Justice Minister and Attorney General of outside the court ruling.
In Kofa’s Bill of Information, it referred the Supreme Court Ruling where Court held that “…..unequivocally [that] whether a simple majority is sitting or a lower number, in both cases a presiding officer, defined in Article 49 of the Constitution is the Speaker, and in his/her absence the Deputy Speaker” must preside. And in the Final Judgment Your Honors that: “…..any sittings or actions by members of the Legislature not in conformity with the intent of Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution are ultra vires.
Hence, Members of the House of Representatives are to conduct themselves accordingly. The Clerk of this Court is hereby ordered to inform the parties. AND IT IS HEREBY SO ORDERED.
In the Ruling, Your Honors held and determined that the sittings, decisions and actions that were previously taken by the self-styled Majority Bloc were ultra vires, i.e., unauthorized and therefore illegal.
This included the unconstitutional removal of Speaker Koffa as Speaker and the purported “election” of Representative Koon as Speaker. In the Court’s Final Judgment, Your Honors ordered the Members to conduct themselves in compliance with BOTH the quorum provisions of Article 33 as well as Article 49 which required the presence of the Speaker as the constitutional Presiding Officer.
In deliberate and intentional violations and direct contraventions of the Court’s Ruling and Final Judgment, Representatives Koon and Fallah and other Members of the self-styled Majority Bloc have continued to convene and hold unauthorized hearings, including budget hearings, all of which were declared ultra vires and invalided in Your Honors’ Ruling and Final Judgment.