Credible sources have informed the Hot Pepper that President Joseph Boakai and his officials are secretly holding meetings with the embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, and requesting that he resigns the Speakership, while at the same time the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, has drafted an opinion in favor of the “majority bloc” in the interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Sources close to the Executive Mansion confided that a meeting was held on Monday night, in which Speaker Koffa was told to go along with three persons to discuss matters relating to the Capitol Building stalemate. This medium was told that Speaker Koffa reportedly went along with Representative Dixon Seboe, a female (presumedly Ellen Attoh-Wreh) and another representative, while the Executive was represented by the Legal Advisor to the President, Cllr. Bushuben Keita, and the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Oswald Tweh. Also in attendance were the Pro-temp of the Liberian Senate, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, and Senator Abraham Darius Dillon. President Boakai was absent from the meeting.
Unfortunately, discussions from the meeting have not been disclosed, but it was reported that President Boakai’s negotiators proposed that Koffa resigns from the Speakership position.
Koffa was said not to be definite in his response, and that the meeting ended without an agreed resolution.
To make public the position of the Executive on the House impasse, Justice Minister Tweh appeared at the Ministry of Information yesterday and publicly declared that the President had asked him to give his opinion in the House’s matter.
In his conclusion, Cllr. Tweh stated, “My reading of the Court’s opinion and the analysis made above, dictate what constitutes a valid, legal and Constitutional plenary of the House of Representatives, as quoted in the court’s opinion, bring me to the conclusion that the majority members of the House of Representatives met the Constitutional requirements explicated by the court to hold session and take decisions consistent with the laws of the country and the rules of the House of Representatives.
“Therefore, I am of the considered opinion, and the law supports my opinion, that the budgetary process can be legally carried out by the majority members provided they meet the same standards laid out by the Supreme Court’s opinion, forming an integral part of my opinion, and that any decision therefrom is Constitutional, legal and valid.”
In order to solidify the Justice Minister’s opinion, the Liberian Senate, headed by Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, who was in the Monday meeting with Koffa, upheld the position of the Executive and resolved to do business with the “majority bloc” of the House of Representatives.
However, observers have criticized the decision of the Executive and the Liberian Senate to “misinterpret” the Supreme Court’s ruling to favor the “majority bloc” when, in fact, the court clearly stated that the sittings of the bloc were ultra vires.
Representative Musa Hassan Bility, one of the lawmakers in defense of Koffa’s Speakership, has revealed that they may file a bill of information at the Supreme Court soon. He, too, said the decision by the Executive to side with the “majority block” in the House of Representatives is both disheartening and alarming for Liberia’s democracy. “It sets a dangerous precedent when the Executive Branch openly disregards the court’s ruling and aligns with what is widely perceived as an illegal gathering of lawmakers seeking to unseat Speaker J. Fonati Koffa,” he stated.
According to Representative Bility, “Particularly troubling is the role of the Minister of Justice, who reportedly advised the President to approve this controversial move. Such advice not only undermines the independence of the Judiciary but also casts doubt on the minister’s professional judgment and the implications for his career going forward.”
Recently, the lawmaker was calling for the Justice Minister to interpret the ruling of the court to bring sanity back to the Capitol. At the time, Bility said, “At a time when emotions are high, clarity and communication are essential. By fulfilling this vital Constitutional role the Minister of Justice can help preserve the integrity of our legal system, safeguard our fragile peace, and strengthen the democratic foundations upon which our nation depends.”
But frustratingly, Bility has termed Minister Tweh’s interpretation as a threat to the principles of separation of powers and rule of law, upon which the nation’s democracy is built. “By ignoring the Supreme Court’s intervention, the Executive has opened the door to a chaotic and lawless political landscape. It sends a chilling message to Liberians and the international community that political expediency can override Constitutional order,” he noted.