CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA – The House of Representatives has ratified a series of controversial legislative actions, including the 2025 National Budget, taken by a faction of lawmakers during a leadership dispute ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
The ratification, made via resolution read by Chief Clerk Mildred Sayon on Tuesday, seeks to retroactively legalize acts passed by the so-called majority bloc — a group of lawmakers that continued to conduct House business during the absence and exclusion of then-Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa. That group’s actions, including enacting the national budget and signing international agreements, had been declared void by Liberia’s highest court.
“This resolution acknowledges and ratifies the acts and actions taken by the Constitutional Quorum, specifically concerning the inclusion of the 2025 National Budget, thereby granting it legal validity,” the document states.
Supreme Court Rebuke
The House’s action comes in the wake of two scathing Supreme Court rulings. The first, issued on December 6, 2024, warned lawmakers against prolonged absenteeism and procedural chaos. The second, delivered on April 23, 2025, explicitly declared that all actions taken by the Koon-led “majority bloc” — without Speaker Koffa or his constitutionally designated deputy — were unconstitutional.
In its landmark April 23 ruling, the Court declared the ascendency of Rep. Richard Koon as Speaker at the time null and void and condemned the legislative acts carried out under his leadership, including the passage of the 2025 Budget, as lacking “legal effect.” The Court said any session held without the Speaker present, especially when he was available and presiding, violated Articles 33 and 49 of the 1986 Constitution.
“Any action or sitting by the majority to the exclusion of the Speaker presiding while he is present and available… is unconstitutional and without the appeal of the law,” the Court ruled, further warning that disregard for constitutional mandates “exposes the nation to lawlessness.”
Koon was duly elected Speaker of the 55th Legislature on May 13, 2025 after Koffa resigned on May 12, 2025.
Parallel Legislature, Legal Confusion
For months, the House operated as a divided chamber, with Speaker Koffa presiding over one faction while Rep. Koon led a breakaway bloc that claimed to hold majority control. The Koon faction passed laws, attempted to recall ECOWAS representatives, withheld salaries from rival lawmakers, and authorized public disbursements — all of which the Court later declared illegal.
In one especially striking moment during oral arguments, the Court revealed that when asked about Speaker Koffa’s whereabouts during a session chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, counsel for the Koon bloc admitted that Koffa was “in another room.” The Court noted that this admission alone rendered all such sessions invalid, reinforcing the Speaker’s constitutional primacy.
House Attempts Damage Control
Despite the Court’s verdict, the Tuesday resolution seeks to “remove any cloud of illegality” from the disputed acts, arguing that retroactive ratification is necessary to prevent governmental paralysis and uphold appropriations vital to public services and infrastructure.
“The resolution aims to ensure the unchallenged restoration of legality and constitutionality of the acts passed and actions taken during the period of dispute within the House of Representatives,” the document says.
Lawmakers backing the resolution contend that without this measure, critical spending — including education subsidies, health funding, and international loan disbursements — could be held in legal limbo, affecting the stability of the Boakai administration.
“This was necessary to ensure the continuity of government and prevent administrative paralysis,” a House staffer told The Liberian Investigator. “Without ratification, the 2025 Budget and related laws would face serious legal challenges.”
A Return to Order
Speaker Koffa officially resigned on May 12, 2025, just days after the Court reaffirmed his leadership and invalidated Koon’s. On May 13, Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon was re-elected Speaker — this time through a constitutionally recognized process — ending the power struggle and restoring legislative order.
The ratified resolution is now set to be forwarded to the Senate for concurrence and, if approved, to President Joseph Boakai for final enactment.
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