By: Frank P. Martin
MONROVIA: Incumbent President George Manneh Weah is said to have expressed explicit confidence and trust in Grand Kru County’s reelected Representative, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 55th National Legislature.
Rep. Koffa, an American trained legal scholar is currently the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He has since expressed his interest to lead the August body.
Unimpeachable and well-placed sources within the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), who preferred anonymity for administrative reason, hinted the Investigative Independent Newspaper yesterday that President Weah, in a telephone conversation, mandated all Legislators who have been elected on CDC’s ticket in the 10, October, 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections to support Representative Koffa, a venerated, well-experienced and highly connected lawyer, for the influential and powerful House Speaker Portfolio.
Sources: “The President was clear with his mandate on Monday that Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa is his choice; So, no CDC-elected Lawmaker should contest against him. This is because, doing so will divide our votes against the Unity Party (UP), or any other candidate for the speakership.”
According our sources, President Weah has promised to mobilize the necessary support for Koffa to resoundingly defeat any candidate for the prestigious House Speaker post of the 55th Legislature.
In this connection, our informers revealed that President Weah, who is now admired nationally and globally for his ‘unquestionable commitment to democracy’ has cautioned the CDC elected-lawmakers to stop making statements that have the potential to cause unnecessary tension and division within the CDC.
According to sources, Weah is of the strong view that such measure would go a long way for the voices of Legislators of the former ruling party, now going into opposition, to be well-respected via the CDC Legislative Caucus.
“Hon. Koffa will be. We are resolved. Stop the unwarranted internal fighting and political wrangling. We did that during the campaign. Let accept this lost and continue to stabilize our party and come back strong in 2029,” the sources further quoted the outgoing President as saying.
In January 2024, the now 54th Legislature will transition into the 55th Session after the Tenure of the current 54th Legislature expired.
The October 10 Presidential and Legislative elections saw the defeat of several Legislators who were rated by their respective constituencies at the polls as ‘non-achievers and under-performers.’
Sources further claimed that another Lawmaker, Rep. Thomas P. Fallah of the CDC has expressed interest for the House Speakership.
However, according to our highly placed CDC informers, President Weah has told the Montserrado County District#5 Lawmaker, to drop his ambition, owing to a purported agreement reached between both incumbent President Weah and President-elect Boakai for a ‘balance of power’ after transition in January 2024.
This assertion has not been independently verified. Thomas P. Fallah has been elected as Representative of Lofa County District#1.
Another Person who is said to be eying the House Speakership is Musa Hassan Bility, the newly elected Representative of Nimba County District# 7.
Rep. Koffa had earlier expressed confidence that the CDC will produce one candidate; even though Representative Fallah has equally expressed interest for the Speakership.
“For the CDC, it is an institution. It will produce a candidate, whoever that candidate will be that is up to the party,” Koffa recently told Journalists while returning from Grand Kru County.
The CDC is currently the majority bloc in the House of Representatives. According to some political pundits, the Party is poised to repeat that feast in 2024 when the 55th Legislature convene its session.
Interestingly, following the defeat of President George Weah of CDC to ex-vice President Joseph Boakai of the UP, the Unity Party will now head the Executive Branch.
Pundits added that this will give the UP the necessary edge to control both Chambers—the House of the Representatives and House of Senate.
But, Rep. Koffa has since brushed aside such notion, saying “it has not always been the case.”
He indicated some time ago that former president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s then, preferred choices, were not always supported in the Senate or House of Representatives.
“Former House Speaker Edwin Melvin Snowe and former Senate Pro-tempore, Armah Jallah were not supported by the then president, yet they were elected”, he said.
Koffa maintains that the CDC was able to control both Houses owing to the populous support at the polls in 2017 when the party won 14 of the country’s 15 counties.
Meanwhile, latest reports reaching this paper indicated that more than forty newly elected lawmakers have expressed their unreserved support for Rep. Koffa who they viewed as the best person to lead the lower house towards a successful trajectory and in the promotion of Liberia’s hard-won peace and democracy.
