Two members of the Liberian Senate from the ex-ruling Congress for Democratic Change are distancing from the Senate’s decision to work with majority bloc lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
Monrovia, Liberia, December 12, 2024 – The Office Grand Kru County Senator Numene T.H. Bartekwa categorically clarifies that both Sen. Bartekwa and Senator Albert Tugbe Chie did abstain from a decision by the Liberian Senate to do legislative business with the majority bloc members of the House of Representatives.
A press release issued by the Office explains that on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, the Liberian Senate, in its majority, decided to do legislative business with the majority bloc headed by Representative Richard Nagbe Koon as Speaker.
“As per the record, the office of the Senator wishes to categorically have the public informed the Senator Numene T.H. Bartekwa and Senator Albert Tugbe Chie, having thoroughly followed the impasse on Capitol Hill, and its subsequent legal opinion from the Supreme Court, voted on record by Abstaining themselves from the decision of the Senate to do legislative business with the self-styled majority block,” the release says.
It notes that as Acting Chairman of the Southeastern Legislative Caucus, in addition to individual engagement with members of the legislators from the region, Senator Bartekwa sent out several social media posts, encouraging members of that august body to support embattled Speaker Koffa, but to no avail.
The release recalls that Senator Bartekwa, as senator for Grand Kru County and Chairman of the County Legislative Caucus, initially condemned and started to play a mediatory role from the onset of Speaker Koffa’s unconstitutional and illegal removal by some members of his colleagues, a situation for which they have abstained from the senate decision of doing business with the majority bloc.
“While the senators cannot reverse the decision of the plenary of the Liberian Senate, it is important to inform the public of the position of the senators herein indicated.”
The clarification from Senator Bartekwa’s office comes after the former ruling Congress of Democratic Change (CDC) announced the expulsion of Representative Thomas Fallah, Deputy Speaker of the House, for joining the majority bloc in removing Speaker Koffa, a fellow CDCian. Both Senators Bartekwa and Chie are similarly staunch members of the CDC. Press Release
