President Joseph N. Boakai has made his official position on the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Bill of Information filed by some lawmakers regarding the stalemate at the House of Representatives, noting that the Constitution and the Supreme Court have defined what constitutes a quorum for the conduct of business in the Legislature and, as such, he will continue to work with the “quorum” that will ensure the full functioning of his government.
Even though President Boakai claimed that he acknowledges the ruling of the Supreme Court, he noted that the House of Representatives’ problem remains unresolved.
President Boakai said, “Let me be clear: under my leadership, the Government of Liberia (GOL) will not be held hostage by narrow interests or acts of lawlessness. The work of governance will continue, and nothing will distract us from our duty to serve the Liberian people.”
President Boakai’s statement comes a day after the Supreme Court handed its verdict that the sitting of the “majority block” and any other sittings of the House of Representatives without the elected Speaker [Cllr. Fonati Koffa] is illegal and un-Constitutional.
The statement also comes after the leader of the “illegal” block, Richard Koon, outrightly rejected the ruling of the Supreme Court and insisted that the court has meddled in the internal affairs of the first branch of government, which is a violation of the doctrine of separation of power.
Koon had stated that under no circumstance would the plenary of the House allow Speaker Fonati Koffa to preside over any sitting or meeting of the House of Representatives. He claimed that Koffa was duly removed from the Office of Speaker by a resolution signed by 50 members of the House, and that he was given due process. According to him, no opinion or judgment of the Supreme Court can or will expunge or erase the resolution from the annals of the House of Representatives.
However, it appeared like members of the “minority block” were beginning to take the law into their own hands, with Montserrado County’s district #10 Representative, Yekeh Kolubah, destroying images of Koon hung in the House’s conference room, stating, “This man is not Speaker.”
Representative Kolubah also made an attempt to open the Office of the Speaker, to possibly remove (destroy) Representative Koon’s belongings and turn the office over to Koffa.
On one hand, the Speaker of the House, Cllr. Fonati Koffa, had hailed the ruling of the Supreme Court and vowed to reach out to the Deputy Speaker, Thomas P. Fallah, and the “majority block” leader, Richard Koon, in order for them to craft a lasting solution in the matter.
On another hand, some members of the Liberian Senate, too, had acknowledged the Supreme Court’s ruling, and have vowed that the Senate would reconsider its decision in working with the Koon leadership.
Regrettably, President Boakai, speaking during the evening hours of Thursday, April 24, 2025, damned the Supreme Court’s opinion and elected to fuel more tension in the House of Representatives by continuing to do business with the “majority block”.
After defying the court’s order, like Koon and the “majority block”, President Boakai contradicted himself by saying, “We are a country governed by laws, not by mobs or self-serving ambition. Those who undermine peace, violate the law, or seek to disrupt national harmony will face the full force of the law and justice.”
He further called on every elected leader to remember their oath, not to themselves, but to the Liberian nation-state and people.
However, legal pundits are beginning to wonder which law or justice is President Boakai referencing, after defying the highest court of the land for the personal interest of Richard Koon and a few members of the House of Representatives.
They wondered what or who influenced the President’s statement, as it does not augur well for the nation’s democracy or even the wellbeing of the Boakai administration. They argued that the President should not have sacrificed the rule of law for one person’s interest. “As a long-serving statesman and elder, President Boakai should have rethought his decision not to honor a decision from the Supreme Court. He should remember that he has a legacy and name to protect—if not for himself but for the generation that look up to him as a father, leader and President,” they observed.
The pundits predicted that President Boakai’s statement may cause a national embarrassment for Liberia and make many others to perceive the Boakai administration as “unserious” and not ready foster democracy.
