Monrovia — Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, has responded to a recent ruling by Associate Justice Yamie Gbeisay, which denied his petition for a writ of prohibition against a group of lawmakers holding separate sessions at the Capitol. The sessions, held in the joint chambers by a faction of 43 lawmakers, represent a push for Koffa's removal from office, though no formal impeachment proceedings have been initiated.
The Speaker had sought the Supreme Court's intervention to stop these parallel sessions, arguing that they undermine the authority of his office and disrupt legislative order. However, the petition was rejected on November 6, prompting Koffa to consider taking the matter to the full bench of the Supreme Court.
In response to the ruling, Speaker Koffa reiterated his commitment to upholding the Constitution and protecting the established rules of the House. "I am standing firmly on the side of the law and will remain resolute in ensuring that no group of members can subvert the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia or the established rules of the House," Koffa declared. "We intend to take further legal actions in the coming days to assert our rights within the framework of the law. I will not resign in the face of such callous disregard for the legal process."
The group of lawmakers, who identify as the Majority Bloc, have challenged the validity of the House's standing rules and questioned Speaker Koffa's authority, claiming that their numerical strength gives them legitimate grounds to hold sessions independently. During a conference with Associate Justice Gbeisay on Monday, the anti-Koffa faction admitted that due process had not been extended to the Speaker but argued that, since no formal impeachment proceedings had commenced, his request for prohibition was premature.
Speaker Koffa's legal team contends that their client is being denied due process and that the actions of his colleagues violate both the Liberian Constitution and House rules. The Speaker has dismissed allegations against him--including accusations of conflict of interest, budget mismanagement, and unauthorized structural changes within the House--as baseless and lacking proper evidence. He has called on his colleagues to adhere to constitutional procedures, specifically Article 49 of the Liberian Constitution, which mandates due process, a two-thirds majority vote, and a fair hearing before a Speaker can be removed from office.
