By Bill W. Cooper
“Call the number that is here. We will instruct our legal side and consult with other outside counsels. This plenary will instruct us to be able to compel members who are not in session to attend by the next available session day,” that was how Fonati Koffa laid down his gavel on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
The embattled Speaker concluded, “We can use the court to compel them. The law guides us. If they have a simple majority, they can have the gavel. If they cannot have a simple majority, they cannot have the gavel.”
While those claiming to have the majority yet failed to have the numbers to conceal their resolution agreed through a 48-hour ultimatum summon Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah and Chief Clerk Mildred Sayon to appear before their body on today if not their positions will be declared vacant.
“In accordance with our legislative duties and representatives of the Liberian people, the majority members of the House have evoked the House’s Standing Rules 8 and 12 along with Article 33 of the 1986 Constitution that states: a simple majority of the House shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business,” that was how the Anti-Speaker’s group under deputy Chief Clerk, James Toubie began their side of sesssion on Tuesday.
The political struggle over the authority and legitimacy of the House’s leadership is said to be raising serious questions about the future of governance of Liberia ahead of today’s session.
Previously 47 Representatives affixed their signature to a resolution to oust Speaker Koffa followed by several actions including the holding of a separate session even though their sitting is illegal.
Their side have quorum for plenary but that does not give them the right to assemble separately while the speaker and his deputy are present and still in possession of the gavel and more so, their gathering is to conceal their resolution by the exact 49 votes to qualify them to return to the House’s chambers for the two-thirds majority vote because as it stands, they have vowed not to sit under Koffa’s gavel.
Speaker Koffa who continues to preside in plenary, after failing to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business since the resumption of the third quarter of the House’s sitting, vowed to take legal action to compel his colleagues to form part of their next session.
With 30 members present, short of the seven as required cannot conduct official business, while with 42 on the disgruntle members’ side short of seven, their resolution is but a mere paper with signatures.
It was Nimba County Representative Musa Hassan Bility who filed a motion to compel absent lawmakers to attend the next session today; a decision that got the unanimous vote in favor of the motion, signaling their intent to rally for a stronger showing at the next sitting.
What remains constant is that all sides of the divide cannot convene for official business because while Koffa’s group is in the main chamber craving for quorum, a rival group meets in the joint chambers forging plans to gin legitimacy and signatures to boot Koffa out.
Meanwhile, with both factions now issuing competing motions to compel attendance and summon critical figures, the situation at the House of Representatives has now left many wondering as to who really owns the gavel at the House.
Both factions are still struggling to fulfill the Constitution which required 49 Representatives to pass a resolution to oust a speaker while only a simple majority of at least 37 Representatives are needed as a quorum for the transaction of legislative business.
With the pending session today, many are now looking to see who will take over the leadership of the House by swaying the required six or seven more lawmakers for legitimacy.
