Monrovia – Grand Bassa County Representative Thomas A. Goshua has withdrawn his support for the petition to oust Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, calling the move an attack on Koffa’s bold push to audit the House of Representatives.
Report by Elton W. Tiah and Lennart Dodoo
Rep. Goshua, who was initially one of the signatories of the resolution, clarified that his involvement was purely investigative, aimed at identifying those behind the movement to unseat the Speaker.
In a press statement released Thursday, Goshua revealed that the push to remove Koffa stems from the Speaker’s efforts to audit the House, an unprecedented move targeting financial mismanagement and corruption. “The push for Speaker Koffa’s removal was largely in response to his bold stance to commence the audit of the House of Representatives, marred by bribery,” Rep. Goshua stated. He added that the audit represents a critical step toward transparency and accountability, values that should not be undermined.
This revelation comes as tensions rise within the legislature, with 47 members of the House reportedly signing a petition to remove Koffa from his position. The petition was read aloud by Representative Nya Flomo of Nimba County from his mobile phone. There would, however, be a vote on the resolution before the Speaker can be ousted.
Speaker Koffa, currently out of the country on official duties with President Joseph Boakai, is set to return to Liberia on Friday. His supporters, including Montserrado County Representative Frank Saah Foko, have dismissed the petition as a futile effort, insisting that Koffa still holds the Speaker’s gavel.
At the heart of this political crisis is Koffa’s initiation of the first post-war audit of the House of Representatives, an endeavor that has ruffled the feathers of some of Liberia’s most powerful politicians. The audit, which is expected to expose potential financial irregularities, has placed key figures such as Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, and former Speaker Emmanuel Nuquay under scrutiny.
Supporters of Koffa argue that the audit poses a threat to lawmakers who fear it could unravel years of unchecked financial practices, threatening their political careers. Fallah, in particular, has come under intense focus due to his previous role as chair of the House’s Ways, Means, and Finance Committee, responsible for overseeing budget matters.
“We as lawmakers in good conscience should not support any effort aimed at stifling such an important and necessary step toward good governance,” Rep. Goshua stated, calling on his colleagues to prioritize transparency over internal divisions.
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