Monrovia — Amid a heated political clash between two groups of legislators on Capitol Hill, Speaker of the 55th Legislature, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, has firmly rejected calls for his resignation, arguing that there is no constitutional basis for dissolving the legislature due to his adjournment of sessions for lack of quorum.
Report by Blamo N. Toe and Gibson Gee
During an interview with journalists at his Capitol Hill office on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Speaker Koffa dismissed the notion that the Supreme Court could dissolve the legislature if the Speaker adjourns five successive sessions for failing to meet quorum. "Where is the five times in the law? None," Koffa remarked, emphasizing that no such provision exists within the 1986 Liberian Constitution.
Speaker Koffa outlined the legislative procedures in cases where quorum is not met, stating, "We can adjourn, and we can compel." He explained that the minority members of the House could compel the majority to attend sessions, noting that the constitution recognizes the Speaker or Deputy Speaker as the leadership, not the majority in their absence.
On Tuesday, a group of 43 lawmakers, led by Representative Samuel Kogar, convened their own session in the Joint Chamber of the Legislature, while 29 other members, under the gavel of Speaker Koffa and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, gathered in the main chamber. The majority bloc issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Deputy Speaker Fallah and Chief Clerk Mildred Siryon to appear before them or risk the declaration of Fallah's seat as vacant.
Speaker Koffa's group, unable to meet the required quorum of 37 members, adjourned the session. Koffa directed the Chief Clerk to notify the absent lawmakers to attend the next session scheduled for Thursday, October 24, 2024.
When asked about the consequences if the majority bloc members failed to attend, Speaker Koffa mentioned the possibility of escalating the matter to the Supreme Court.
In response to questions about the legality of the majority bloc convening a separate session, Koffa clarified that the session was not valid under the rules. "Session membership is under the gavel of the Speaker or, in his absence, the Deputy Speaker," he explained. He dismissed any suggestion that the 43 lawmakers' gathering was anything more than a meeting under the freedom of association.
Koffa also firmly rejected the idea of resignation, stating, "That is not possible; resignation is not an option for us."
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Acknowledging internal tensions within the House of Representatives, Speaker Koffa admitted that his hands-off leadership style may have contributed to the discord. "I acknowledge that we adopted a laissez-faire approach to leadership to allow more interactions and a decentralized form of decision-making, and that, perhaps, did not go well. I take responsibility for that," he said.
Speaking on the counts made in the resolution proferred by his colleagues seeking to unseat him, he said, "I think the counts that were written were not well-researched... It was more of an attention-getter, and that's what I was disappointed in," Koffa said. "The genuine issues that members raised to me personally were not on that paper. What they have raised involves committee assignments and interactions, not what's in the petition."
Koffa further addressed accusations against him, including claims that he has ties to the owners of a company, TIA. He denied any conflict of interest, stating that while he may be friends with the company's owners, he has never interfered in their business dealings with the legislature.
"They are my friends," he responded. "No one can give you one time that I called them to interfere on behalf of TIA. That would be the relevant question."
Speaker Koffa called for reconciliation within the House and revealed that he had consulted Vice President Jeremiah Koung about the ongoing political division. He expressed hope for a resolution that would unite the chamber and allow it to move forward.
