Published: November 14, 2026
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia – House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon has signaled that he will move his political base to Sinoe County’s District 1. The seat is held by Rep. Thomas Romeo Quioh, one of the lawmakers whose switch of allegiance helped make Koon speaker.
The speaker’s official Facebook page posted Saturday, Nov. 14: “It’s Official! District 1, Sinoe County.” Koon has represented Montserrado County’s District 11 since 2017. The post did not mention a candidacy, an election or a filing, and his office has not said whether he will run for the seat in 2029.
The Liberian Investigator reported Oct. 30 that Koon was considering a 2029 bid in Sinoe’s District 1. That report said he had made repeated visits to the county, including to Butaw, and that he was expected to dedicate a radio station under construction in the district.
The move could set up a contest between a sitting speaker and a member of the House he presides over. Quioh first aligned with then-Speaker J. Fonati Koffa during the House leadership crisis, then joined the majority bloc that consolidated around Koon. That shift helped end the standoff and put Koon in the speaker’s chair.
Sources close to Quioh told The Liberian Investigator in October that he was disappointed by Koon’s interest in his seat and viewed it as a potential betrayal of their understanding. They said Quioh did not anticipate that an alliance forged during the leadership struggle could put his seat at risk. Quioh has not publicly broken with Koon.
Koon first ran in District 11 in 2011 as an independent and finished third with 2,443 votes. He won the seat in 2017 on the Unity Party ticket with 6,674 votes.
His rivalry with Thomas Nimene Tweh Jr., popularly known as Original Countryman, in District 11 remains unsettled. Tweh was barred from the 2023 legislative race following a Supreme Court ruling on his constitutional eligibility, including citizenship and domicile requirements. The two have since traded remarks about a future contest. In a social media exchange, Koon said, “I can close my eyes and beat anyone in District #11.” Tweh suggested the gap between them would be as wide as the distance between Montserrado and Sinoe.
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