MONROVIA – Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, a leading Liberian lawyer and human rights advocate, has sharply rebuked President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for what he described as an open defiance of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the leadership crisis in the House of Representatives.
In a strongly worded statement issued Friday, April 25, 2025, Gongloe insisted that the Supreme Court’s April 23 judgment must be honored without delay. The Court ruled that any action by the so-called majority bloc of lawmakers in the absence of Speaker J. Fonati Koffa presiding, even though he was present and not incapacitated, is unconstitutional and a violation of the rule of law.
Gongloe cited Articles 65 and 66 of the Liberian Constitution, reminding the President that Supreme Court decisions are final and binding. He criticized Boakai’s recent remarks about working with a legislative “quorum,” calling them a serious threat to constitutional order.
“The Court has spoken. There is no ambiguity. Speaker J. Fonati Koffa is the legitimate presiding officer of the House of Representatives,” Gongloe declared. He urged President Boakai to instruct all government officials to cease questioning the Court’s authority, to discipline any violators, and to direct all official communications through Speaker Koffa.
Gongloe warned that continued defiance would invite political chaos, undermine Liberia’s democratic stability, damage its international reputation, and jeopardize its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Drawing a parallel to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s concession following a controversial Supreme Court decision in 2000, Gongloe called on President Boakai to demonstrate true statesmanship by respecting the judiciary and defending the Constitution.
“Respect for the rule of law is not optional,” Gongloe said. “Liberia’s future depends on it.”
