Monrovia — Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah has accused President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of bribing each lawmaker of the House of Representatives with a US$4,500 furniture coupon to remove House Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa from the position.
The Montserrado County Electoral District #10 lawmaker made the disclosure Thursday, March 21, 2024, at his office to a team of reporters, where he displayed the coupon before live cameras as evidence.
He described the alleged plot of the Liberian Chief Executive against the opposition Speaker, a ranking member of the Coalition for Democratic Change, as total wickedness and broad-day bribery.
According to Representative Kolubah, he received a telephone call from the defeated candidate for the speakership position of the ruling Unity Party and Representative of Montserrado County Electoral District #11, Richard Nagbe Koon, to collect his coupon.
The controversial lawmaker indicated that Representative Koon directed him to Representative Prince Toles of Montserrado County Electoral District #8. He brought forth before the live camera one of his staffers (a female) who alluded to collecting the coupon from the lawmaker on his behalf.
"According to Honorable Koon, this is intended for the bloc (the Koon's Bloc for the Speakership) that voted for him. So I already get my salary then why the additional US$4,500 for when the President keeps saying there is no money," he said.
Representative Kolubah stressed that although the Liberian Leader still cries out that the government has no money, he is equally eager to remove Speaker Koffa, and he does not want to see the Speaker at all so he is dishing out bribes among members of the House of Representatives.
"Me, I already received mine. Honorable Richard Koon called me. I sent my Filing Clerk [Ma Martha] to go and receive mine from Honorable Prince Toles' Office, and she signed for it. But this is not intended for me; I'm going to turn this over to Fonati Koffa as evidence," Representative Kolubah noted.
He questioned the wisdom of the President to involve himself with the removal of the Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, especially when the elections are over, and Liberians are yearning for development.
The lawmaker maintained that the Liberian Leader intends to keep the Koon Bloc together to remove Speaker Koffa on grounds that he (Boakai) does not like the arrowhead of the legislature due to his political affiliation.
Representative Kolubah stressed that the coupon was distributed to all members of Richard Koon's Bloc, thus challenging the rest of his colleagues to come public with theirs if they truly love the Liberian people.
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He noted that the coupon was validated by the owner of the business' name, J-Mart, adding that President Boakai is using the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs to implement his 'evil plan' against the sitting Speaker, in gross disregard to democracy and free political affiliation or association.
At the same time, Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah has vowed to formally submit a letter to plenary upon the return of that august body from its first quarterly break to invite the Minister of State and question him about the intent of the distribution of gas coupons among members of the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker disclosed that in the coming week, the President is expected to distribute, for the second time, US$7,000 to each of Richard Koon's Bloc for the same purpose of removing Speaker Koffa.
"I really wanted to wait for the US$4,500 to come for me to put everything together and bring this thing to the public, but again, the people were going to ask why I didn't talk ever since," he added.
When contacted, Representative Richard Nagbe Koon via text messages through WhatsApp and offline, he could not respond as his phone remained off.
