Liberia: Former President Working Behind the Scenes to Resolve Legislative Saga in Decrease House, Save His Party, Legacy

Monrovia — Ex-Liberian President George Weah on Tuesday met with some representatives of the Congress of Democratic Change (CDC), as a part of efforts to bolster the variety of embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa within the ongoing saga on the House of Representatives.

By Selma Lomax [email protected]

Weah’s CDC has been enmeshed in inner disaster since a few of its members, notably Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, joined ranks with a gaggle of lawmakers pushing the elimination of Speaker Koffa, an elite member of the CDC.

Allegedly current on the assembly have been the lawmaker of Montserrado County’s tenth district and a serious critic of Weah, Yekeh Kolubah, Bong County District #5 Representative Eugene JM Kollie, Gbarpolu County District #1 Representative Zinnah B. Norman, and Montserrado County District #9 Representative Frank Saah Foko, amongst others.

FrontPageAfrica gathered that Deputy Speaker Fallah and Weah are anticipated to fulfill forward of Thursday, in one other transfer to persuade his one-time “confidant” to half firm with the “majority bloc” and return to the Koffa bloc. Deputy Speaker Fallah couldn’t be reached as much as press time to authenticate the rumors.

FrontPageAfrica has reliably gathered that the purpose of the previous Liberian president is to persuade CDC lawmakers who’ve aligned with the “majority bloc” to return underneath Speaker Koffa’s gavel and guarantee he (Koffa) will get 37, the required quantity to have a quorum. And it appears to be paying off as Rep. Norman, who had earlier joined the “majority bloc”, has clarified that his presence of their Chamber final week was “misunderstood”, including that his loyalty to the social gathering and Speaker Koffa stays unbending.

Rep. Kollie, in the meantime, posted to his Facebook web page following the assembly, saying, “It was often said that Ex-President Weah was playing games by delaying to come to Liberia when Speaker Koffa needed him most, but his delay was to prove his strength with the Liberian people. As the speculations grew that Speaker Koffa was at the point of resigning, his “friend” arrived and shouted, “Do Not Resign, I am here with you”!

According to a supply who attended the assembly, Weah begged aggrieved lawmakers that aligning with the “majority bloc” to take away Koffa would have an effect on the social gathering forward of 2029, notably when it has grow to be evident that the battle to take away Koffa is being reportedly masterminded by the ruling Unity Party.

The president assured lawmakers that because the chief of the social gathering, a part of his position was to create the setting for members to ventilate their grievances, in line with our supply. Our supply added that the previous Liberian president assured lawmakers that he would proceed to deal with the challenges by means of the social gathering equipment.

“I thank you for the decision to approach me with your concerns over the current situation and for pursuing a solutions approach for the challenges thrown up by the recent attempts by the Unity Party to remove the Speaker,” Weah was quoted as saying.

“As the leader of the party, one of my primary roles is to ensure that our internal dispute resolution is strengthened by creating the opportunity for members to ventilate their opinions, views and grievances at different levels.”

Recall, Speaker Koffa final week filed a petition with the  Supreme Court, difficult what he describes as unconstitutional and unlawful actions taken by members of the House’s majority bloc. 

The petition comes within the wake of a controversial transfer by the bulk bloc to elect Montserrado District 11 Representative Richard Nagbe Koon as the brand new Speaker. 

This determination adopted a decision signed by the bloc to oust Koffa from his place, a transfer Koffa argues flagrantly violates the Liberian Constitution and House Standing Rules.

Koffa’s authorized problem primarily revolves across the legitimacy of the plenary session throughout which Koon was elected.

According to the Speaker, this session was convened with out his authorization or presence, a transparent violation of Article 49 of the Liberian Constitution and Rule 10 of the House Standing Rules. These provisions, Koffa asserts, grant him unique authority to name and preside over legislative classes, making the actions of the bulk bloc unconstitutional and procedurally invalid.

The petition additional highlights the suspension of three lawmakers—Representatives Edward Flomo, Abu Kamara, and Marvin Cole—by the bulk bloc. Koffa argues that these suspensions have been carried out with out due course of, a requirement firmly enshrined in Article 20 of the Liberian Constitution. 

The Speaker additionally references Rule 48 of the House Standing Rules, which mandates adherence to due course of in disciplinary actions in opposition to lawmakers. By bypassing these constitutional safeguards, Koffa contends, the bulk bloc has undermined the rules of equity and accountability.

The ongoing dispute has uncovered deep divisions inside Liberia’s fifty fifth Legislature, with vital implications for the nation’s governance and political stability. 

The actions of the bulk bloc, mixed with Koffa’s authorized problem, have created a tense standoff that would form the way forward for legislative management in Liberia.