The embattled Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, has vowed not to resign his position as Speaker, insisting that if his fellow lawmakers want him out of the position they will have to obtain the two-thirds majority to oust him.
Speaker Koffa’s statement comes amidst protesting members of the House of Representatives showing strength during Tuesday’s sitting, where they pulled a majority of 43 members but felt short of attaining the two-thirds majority to remove him. Speaker Koffa’s bloc only attained 30 members in session.
According to Speaker Koffa, he will not give any lawmaker a dime to rescind their decision, and if the rebelling bloc obtain the 49 votes required to remove him he will step aside, but until then he remains the Speaker and he will not resign.
On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, two separate sessions were conducted at the House of Representatives—one in the Chambers of the House of Representatives and the other in the Joint Chambers of the National Legislature.
The one presided over by Speaker Cllr. Fonati Koffa, which was the legitimate one, was held in the Chambers of the House of Representatives but felt short of attaining the simple majority required to conduct business. This session had thirty (30) lawmakers in attendance, the chief clerk and the sergeant-at-arm.
After the rollcall, and upon noticing that they did not have the number to conduct session, Speaker Koffa instructed the sergeant-at-arm to compel the absent lawmakers to attend session, in order that they may have a quorum to conduct the function of the House of Representatives.
The illegitimate session, which was held in the Joint Chambers of the National legislature, saw a huge attendance, forty-three (43), but was not seated in the right chambers to conduct business and was with a wrong presiding, in the presence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. This session was presided over by Margibi County Representative, Clarence Gahr, and deputized by Montserrado County’s district #2 Representative, Sekou Kanneh.
During this session, its “acting chief clerk” read two letters—one addressed to the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Fallah, and another to the Chief Clerk, Mildred Sayon.
The letter to Deputy Speaker Fallah read, “By directive of the majority members of the House of Representatives, we write to inform you of a resolution signed by the majority of lawmakers, which affirms that Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has lost the trust and confidence of the majority of House members.
“In accordance with our legislative duty as representatives of the Liberian people, the majority members have invoked the House’s Standing Rules #8 and #12, along with Article 33 of the Liberian Constitution, which states, ‘A simple majority of each house shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.’
“As such, a session of the House of Representatives has been duly convened in the Joint Chamber of the Legislature. In line with the mandate of the majority members in legislative assembly, we hereby invite you to participate in this session to ensure the effective conduct of business on behalf of the Liberian people.
“Your prompt attendance and adherence to this directive are critical for upholding the Constitutional process and ensuring the uninterrupted service of the House of Representatives.”
A similar letter was addressed to Chief Clerk Sayon, all her deputies and the sergeant-at-arm. They all, including Deputy Speaker Fallah, were given 48 hours to appear before the majority bloc, with the deadline coinciding with the next session day, Thursday, October 24, 2024.
But in a One-on-One interview with the CEO of Spoon Network, Stanton Whitherspoon, on Tuesday evening, Cllr. Koffa insisting on retaining his Speakership as long as his colleagues fail to obtain 49 votes. He however venerated his colleagues, observing that he does not believe that bribery went on to remove him. According to him, he respects his colleagues and holds them in high esteem.
The Speaker underscored the need to resolve all outstanding issues at the Capitol, even if it will cost him to apologize for his shortcomings. He noted that he is not a perfect Speaker, but he is striving for a better House of Representatives. He pointed out that the conspiracy to oust him is stemmed from his pronouncement to have the House audited for 2022 and 2023.
He categorically refused to accuse Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, Senators Albert Chie, Emmanuel Nuquay and Alex Tyler, and Vice President Jeremiah Koung of being behind his removal. He said these individuals, except VP Koung, have been his longtime friends, emphasizing that Fallah has absolutely nothing to do with the conspiracy. He emphasized that they do not need any presidential intervention to resolve the standoff once they follow the procedures.
Speaker Koffa however expressed shock over some of the masterminds of the removal resolution, noting that they are the same beneficiaries of the committees they are accusing him of arbitrarily establishing, including Samuel Kogar and Anthony Williams, who are all ringleaders of the coup.
As regards the early exposure of his interest to contest the presidency in 2029 and it being one of the factors behind his removal, Speaker Koffa underscored that he is a member of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and will vote for Ambassador George M. Weah come 2029. He dispelled the rumor that he has interest in the presidency, emphasizing that he is a Sasstown boy, as former President Weah, and will not challenge Weah for the Presidency.
He said he is hopeful that before the next session, some of the members of the contending bloc will rescind their decision, as several of them mean well and stand for the interest of the country.