Monrovia — Former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has said that a new election for Speaker of the House of Representatives is unavoidable following his resignation, declaring that "if I resign, a vacancy is created," and that the Constitution and House rules dictate the next steps.
In a press stakeout following days of mounting political pressure and a Supreme Court ruling affirming his legitimacy, Koffa emphasized that his departure was not coerced nor influenced by financial incentives, but rather a strategic decision to avoid further legislative chaos and potential violence.
"I can't negotiate the law," Koffa told reporters. "If I resign, that's the inevitable part of the law -- that a new Speaker has to be elected. The vacancy is created."
Koffa's resignation comes amid heightened tensions on Capitol Hill, including the deployment of armed security forces and internal divisions in the House, which he said eroded support from his caucus. According to Koffa, the final decision to step down was made after evaluating what he described as a deteriorating situation within the legislature.
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"We had to assess our own participation in what is going on," he said. "After the caucus evaluated... with more armed men being called in as reinforcement, our choice was to either go tomorrow to the Capitol to have a repeat of some sort of violence or to avoid that."
He pushed back against rumors that he accepted money in exchange for resigning, describing the speculation as politically motivated and unfounded.
"If I wanted to take money for this, this would not be the ideal time to take money," Koffa asserted. "Before the ruling, if I had withdrawn my case and I wanted to sell it, that was the ideal time."
He admitted that one of his conditions in discussions with rivals was the payment of long-overdue salaries and benefits for his legislative allies.
"Yes, we said we had a discussion with them that I intended to resign, that my request was that the salaries and benefits of my colleagues be paid," Koffa said. "That precipitated another meeting with my colleagues directly in which they got the assurances that it would be done fully."
Koffa also addressed the arrest of some of his staff members, now held at the Monrovia Central Prison, which he insists is a politically tainted case. He called for international investigators to review the allegations independently.
"My request to the police, because the case has been treated so politically, is let's get international investigators to come and investigate the case, look at all the evidence, and whatever the report is, we will abide by it," he said.
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The former Speaker said he plans to release a book titled "From 1 to 73: The Conspiracy at the Capitol" -- a clear reference to the full membership of the House of Representatives and the events that led to his political downfall.
Koffa's resignation followed months of legal and political wrangling over the speakership, culminating in a Supreme Court judgment which declared that any action taken to replace him while the matter was before the court was illegal. Despite that legal victory, Koffa said the tide shifted after President Joseph Boakai publicly pledged to work with the majority bloc, effectively isolating him.
"Once that changed, we had to assess our own participation. And... we started to lose some of our most committed members after the president's statement," Koffa explained. "Do I just continue to be a speaker sitting down at home while someone else is exercising the power and the privileges of the office? In my mind, that's not a wise use of my time."
