The Senate has constituted a mediation committee to help find remedy to the ongoing dispute at the House of Representatives (HoR), between lawmakers supporting Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and a simple majority of lawmakers who are pushing for the Speaker's removal.
Senate Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence said during the constitution of the committee that the resolution of the matter at the Lower House is in the interest of peace and to ensure a stable Legislature for democratic governance.
Headed by former Pro-tempore Gbehzongar M. Findley, the constitution of the mediation team comes just days ahead of the submission of the 2025 draft National Budget to the National Legislature -- which is usually done at the House of Representatives.
According to reports, the Executive Branch of Government through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, set to submit the annual budget to the House on next Tuesday, for vetting and enactment into law.
A resolution, signed by the 47 lawmakers on October 17, calls for Speaker Koffa's removal, claiming he no longer enjoys their confidence. The rebellious lawmakers, who are accused of being bribed to embark on this course, accused their leader of manipulating the House budget and using his position to further his personal business interests, which they argue undermines his leadership and the integrity of the legislative body. They are yet to prove their allegations against their leader.
Supporters of the Speaker, on the other hand, have countered that the move to oust him is driven by an audit he initiated, which is likely to expose significant financial misconduct implicating several high-ranking members of the Legislature -- possibly including himself.
They further allege that the 'majority bloc' is keen to prevent Speaker Koffa from presiding over the 2025 Budget hearing, which could potentially allow them to manipulate the budget.
The Grand Kru County lawmaker has vowed not to bow to old tactics or maneuvers that saw the removals of former Speakers. According to him, resigning or stepping down is not an option and that he will ensure the law is followed to the letter. By law, he can legally be removed by a resolution signed by 49 lawmakers -- constituting two-thirds of the House membership, the necessary number for impeachment.
The Speaker said on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, October 22, that he can only be removed, constitutionally, for a cause and by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House, as enshrined in Article 49.
The Speaker's camp, however, has been unable to secure a quorum for the past two legislative sessions, as there were only 30 of the 73 representatives present. Unable to meet the constitutional requirement of 37 members, Speaker Koffa adjourned the session and instructed the Sergeant at Arms to call absent members to the session.
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However, the continuing stalemate between the two factions, with none able to garner the needed quorum to conduct regular Legislative proceedings, has the proclivity to stall the operations of the entire government -- a situation the senate is endeavoring to avert.
It was against this backdrop that the Senate, at its Thursday's sitting, set up a mediation committee to mediate between the two groups.
The consultative committee was constituted following an hour of meeting among Senators, at the end of their regular session.
Those appointed are Senators Gbehzongar Findley as Chairman and Wellington Gevon Smith as Co-chairman, from Grand Bassa and Rivercess Counties respectively.
Others appointed on the Committee are Senators Thomas Yaya Nimely, Grand Gedeh County; J. Gbleh-bo Brown, Maryland County; and Dabah Varpilah, Grand Cape Mount County.
Meanwhile, as the Senate was debating the decentralization of the three major seaports of the country, the head of the majority bloc of the House, Sam Kogar, entered the Senate Chambers and carried handshakes of individual Senators, an exercise that was perceived as a joke by his Senate colleagues. It is not clear whether that unannounced visit gave rise to the Senate's decision to mediate.
