Early Monday, May 12, 2025, Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa tendered in his resignation to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Mildred Sayon, requesting her to inform members of the House of his resignation effective 12:00 noon, in accordance with the Constitution and the House’s standing rules.
Koffa turned over his gavel to the Deputy Speaker, Thomas P. Fallah, who is now serving as Deputy Speaker and Acting Speaker concomitantly until a new Speaker is elected.
Accordingly, both members of the “majority” and “minority” blocks acknowledged Koffa’s resignation and, in the best interest of the country, agreed to convene on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. for their first day sitting of the 2nd quarter of the 2nd session to conduct a fresh election for the position of Speaker.
The House then requested that all interested members to formally declare their intention to participate in what will be an open, fair, and transparent electoral process, recommitting itself to upholding democratic values and working diligently in service to the Liberian people.
Up to press time, two candidates have declared their intention for the Speakership position: House “Majority” Block leader, Richard Koon, who has relinquished all claims to the Speakership and is now vying to properly lead the House, and Musa Hassan Bility, Chairman of the Rule of Law Caucus and leader of the “minority” block.
Team Koon has regrouped at RLJ Kendeja Resort to seal a victory for their leader and to apparently pay him for the “rebellious” effort in kicking Koffa out of the Speakership. It was also rumored that several heads of state-owned enterprises went to work sooner and left their offices lately yesterday, allegedly to scout for funds to support Representative Koon’s bid for the Speakership.
Koon is a member of the Unity Party (UP), and is seen as President Joseph N. Boakai-backed candidate.
However, Bility has ventured to challenge Koon’s candidacy. According to Bility, his candidacy in the race is not for ambition, but for the restoration of Constitutional order.
Bility has maintained Speaker Koffa’s base of 28 representatives throughout the House impasse, and is said to have several comrades and confidants within the “majority block”.
Since the majority fell out with the Speaker, there have been several disenchanted members within their ranks, for issues such as not being placed on strategic House committees as promised, sidelining, inequality in money distributions, recognition, etc. If the allegation has any iota of truth, it could possibly mean Bility is heading to become the next Speaker of Liberia.
Besides, Bility is said to have come to terms with the Vice President, Jeremiah K. Koung, during the recent Nimba County senatorial by-election—that he abandons his own candidate in favor of Samuel Kogar and, in return, he would receive Koung and Kogar’s support for the Speakership if an election was to ever be held for the position. Kogar was the chief architect of the rebellion against Koffa, arguably positioning him as the most influential person in their ranks. With his support, Musa has a greater edge.
Bility has suffered massively at the hands of the Executive in order for him to abandon the quest to maintain Koffa as Speaker. It is reported that one of Bility’s storage tanks at the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Corporation (LPRC), “China Union” was taken from under his control sometime last week and placed under the control of LPRC.
As one of the largest tanks in the county, “China Union” stores approximately 25% of the total diesel imported in the country.
The tank has been temporarily placed under the control of LPRC, with the threat to transfer it to its rightful owner—China Union.
However, Bility has stood his ground. Speaking to the political harassment his business has undergone at the hands of the Boakai administration, he said, “My business—built with over seven million dollars of investment—was harassed, dismantled, and handed over to others under the directive of the government. I was told it could be returned if I abandoned my stance at the Legislature. I refused.
“I reminded myself that I made my business—my business did not make me. And though my company was disrupted, my conscience stood firm. I chose principle over profit. I chose country over comfort.
“And as this persecution unfolded—led by the Unity Party government—I reflected on the days I served faithfully under the banner of that very party. I remember Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the opportunities her administration gave many Liberians, including me, to thrive in business and service. Today, sadly, that legacy is being undone by those who inherited her party. But the spirit she instilled in us remains unbroken.”
According to information, Bility is prepared to challenge Koon with his all, even though he claimed, “Win or lose, the real victory lies not in the vote, but in the restoration of Constitutional order.”
Sources have hinted the Hot Pepper that Bility has over ten (loyalists) within the ranks of the “majority block”, and if they all turn out for Bility it will be the end of the UP administration’s quest for the Speakership.
They claimed that Bility stands a better chance over Koon, further claiming that the Deputy Speaker, Fallah, would have been a formidable force to compete against Bility.
The sources, some of whom affiliated with the “majority block”, predicted that the election will be characterized by financial play, as several lawmakers are only after their personal aggrandizement and, if that be the case, Bility has confided that he is prepared to spend whatever amount to challenge those who have breached the Constitution.