MONROVIA – What was meant to be a routine legislative retreat swiftly morphed into high-stakes mediation as Ghanaian Speaker Alban Bagbin and his delegation stepped in to resolve Liberia’s deepening parliamentary rift, wary of any move that might be seen as legitimizing Richard Koon’s contested speakership.
Rather than heading to Farmington Hotel for the retreat, Speaker Bagbin opted for mediation, meeting with President Joseph Boakai and all parties involved in the crisis.
Speaker Alban Bagbin, along with his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Matthew Sahr Nyumah, had been invited by the majority bloc-led House of Representatives for a three-day retreat under the theme: “Unity, Integrity, and Modernization.” Their invitation, The Liberian Investigator learned, was extended because these countries recently changed their Speakers, creating an opportunity for them to share experiences with their Liberian counterparts.
Legislative sources suggest that the retreat was also an attempt by the controversial Speaker of the majority bloc, Richard Koon, to validate his recognition as Speaker by his regional counterparts.
However, Speaker Bagbin, not wanting to be entangled in the legislative dispute, reportedly refused to attend the retreat at Farmington Hotel on Thursday. Instead, he called for a meeting with President Joseph Boakai to discuss the legislative impasse.
A legislative source familiar with the development told The Liberian Investigator: “The Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament did not have a clear understanding of the situation until he arrived in Liberia. After being briefed, he decided against attending the retreat and instead initiated a series of meetings. While the majority bloc Speaker pushed for him to attend the retreat immediately, he insisted on first meeting with the President. He was successful in securing an emergency meeting with President Boakai. He also held separate meetings with the majority bloc, the minority bloc, and engaged the embattled Speaker, Fonati Koffa, via phone.”
He also met with former President George Weah.
According to our source, Speaker Bagbin is determined to facilitate the resolution of the legislative crisis under his watch, despite the failure of an ECOWAS delegation to do so.
Meanwhile, the commencement of the retreat coincided with the deadline for Speaker Koon and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah to file their returns to the Bill of Information filed by embattled Speaker Koffa. Koffa claims his removal as Speaker was illegal and that an earlier ruling from the Court on the matter was being disregarded by the Koon and his bloc after both parties claimed victory after the ruling which is widely seen as being ambiguous.
Last week, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf expressed deep concern over the Supreme Court’s handling of the leadership crisis in the House of Representatives, calling for a decisive ruling to bring clarity to the dispute. Sirleaf warned that ambiguous decisions could further destabilize the legislature, urging the Court to provide a definitive resolution instead of leaving the matter in legal limbo.
“Now is definitely not the time for the Supreme Court to deliver an ambiguous ruling that may take us away from peacefully resolving the disruption unfolding in another important branch of government,” Sirleaf stated during the opening session of the NAYMOTE-Liberia Second Summit on Democracy and Political Accountability.
Her remarks came as the Supreme Court had issued a writ summoning key members of the House of Representatives to appear before the full bench on March 14, 2025, in response to a Bill of Information filed by embattled Speaker Koffa and other members of the 55th Legislature.
Sirleaf criticized lawmakers for prioritizing power struggles over national interests. She urged them to aspire to statesmanship, emphasizing that true leadership requires standing firm on principles, even in isolation. “Now, also, is not the time for weakening legislative oversight so that we continue to act in fulfillment of narrow self-interests and what is best for a party over what is necessary for our country.”
Last November, Koffa petitioned the Supreme Court to clarify Article 33 of the Constitution regarding quorum requirements and to compel boycotting lawmakers to return to session. The boycotts had resulted in the Majority Bloc installing Richard Koon as Speaker, dissolving committees set up by Koffa, and suspending some lawmakers loyal to him.
In its ruling on December 6, 2024, the Supreme Court acknowledged its jurisdiction over constitutional matters but refrained from issuing a direct solution. Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, delivering the unanimous opinion, stated:
“Under these circumstances, the Supreme Court cannot do for the Legislature what is within its [legislative] purview to do, as to do so will be a violation of the constitutional mandate on the separation of powers.”
The Court ruled that while the Constitution obligates the Speaker to compel absent lawmakers to attend, it does not specify how this should be enforced. It further declared that any legislative action not in conformity with Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution is illegal.
“WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, any sittings or actions by members of the Legislature not in conformity with the intent of Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution are ultra vires. Hence, members of the House of Representatives are to conduct themselves accordingly.”
However, the ruling failed to resolve the impasse, with both factions claiming victory. Since then, the Majority Bloc, emboldened by its numerical strength and support from the Executive Branch and the Liberian Senate, has taken full control of the House, rendering Speaker Koffa ineffective.
Seeking further legal clarity, Speaker Koffa filed a Bill of Information, urging the Court to declare the Majority Bloc’s actions unconstitutional. The Supreme Court remained silent on the matter until Associate Justice Yamie Gbeisay, in a bold address at the opening of the February Term of Court in Nimba County, denounced the Majority Bloc’s actions as “ultra vires”—beyond their legal authority.
Justice Gbeisay noted that the Supreme Court’s decision to boycott President Joseph Boakai’s State of the Nation Address at the Legislature stemmed from the lack of a legally recognized Speaker, which undermined the House’s ability to form a valid quorum. “Whatever you do is ultra vires,” Justice Gbeisay declared, a statement that intensified political tensions within the legislature.
The legislative impasse, which began in October 2024, centers on disputes surrounding Speaker Fonati Koffa’s leadership. The crisis has led to a clear division in the House of Representatives, forming two main factions—the majority bloc, mostly comprising members of the ruling Unity Party, and the minority bloc, consisting of lawmakers loyal to embattled Speaker Koffa. The minority bloc later rebranded itself as the ‘Rule of Law Caucus.’
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