Monrovia-Newly elected Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon has duly legalized his status from an illegitimate to a legitimate Speaker – an appellation he gained following his 43 votes victory over Representative Musa Bility in the Speakership election necessitated by the resignation of former Speaker, Cllr. J. Fornati Koffa.
With his legitimate election, the Montserrado County 11th District Representative is now flying on eagle wings as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
For a little over five months, Koon presented himself as Speaker following his controversial election to the position by the Majority Bloc – the group of lawmakers that opposed the leadership of then Speaker Koffa and sought his removal through a resolution that was not properly channeled.
His election having been elected outside of laid down legal procedures and processes caused additional chasm in the national body politics not only amongst members of the national legislature inclusive of the Senate and Representatives, but also amongst ordinary Liberians with political ties.
The then Minority Bloc that stood with former Speaker Koffa rebuffed his election as political shenanigan on grounds that it fell below all the legal and procedural belts, and insisted that Koffa was the legitimate speaker.
As the rigmarole over Koon’s legitimacy deepened further and members of the House of Representatives wrangled and elements of the Majority Bloc wielded powers as having the numbers to conduct business, the Executive Branch of government added gas to the fire by recognizing and opting to do business with them.
Using the now burned Joint Chambers of the Capitol Building, the majority Bloc headed the then illegitimate Speaker Koon summoned officials of government to provide explanations on key governance and performance issues.
These actions that did not skip public criticisms, yet they had no sufficient weight to deter the Executive Branch from taking side in a matter with a legal ramifications.
But the straw that broke the camel back was the initial legal interpretation of the ambiguous ruling of the Supreme Court of Liberia by Justice Minister, Cllr. Oswald Tweh in which he weighed towards to side of the majority bloc as having the legitimacy than the minority bloc that enjoyed the covering of the legally and duly elected Speaker.
Minister Tweh’s legal interpretation led to the Liberian Senate endorsing the majority as the body it would work with – a decision that prompted the Executive Branch to channel the National Budget through the majority bloc of the two-chambered House of Representatives.
These conditions triggered the filing of a Bill of Information by the former Speaker and his bloc before the Supreme Court of Liberia, praying for further clarifications into its previous ruling in which it said anything that was not in line with the law was ultra-virus, a Latin word both sides interpreted in their own favor.
After months of legal arguments, the Supreme Court on April 23 rendered judgment into the Bill of Information, confirming the former Speaker as the legitimate and duly elected Speaker of the House – a judgment that further fueled tension, sides taking and different shade of interpretations and opinions.
The then Majority Bloc acknowledged the Court’s ruling but dug in the heels not to sit under the former Speaker gavel, while President Joseph N. Boakai took similar of acknowledging the Supreme Court ruling but insisted that the Executive Branch will work with the majority bloc.
However, then Speaker Koffa who had thought the ruling would have made things attainable for him, was further pushed aside, making conditions difficult for and his supporters.
Apparently tired of the situation and due to other behind-the-scenes mediations, he came to the decision to let go the position of speaker for the sake of peace and those of dozens of other lawmakers and staffers who faced months of strangulations, having been denied their salaries while others were suspended.
On Monday of the week, Koffa officially tendered in his resignation, and on the same day, Koon followed suit, resigning as speaker of the majority – a smart move intended to position him for the elections, the next day.
Giving reasons for his resignation, former Speaker dismissed allegations of bribery surrounding his decision.
He said: “If I wanted to take money before I resign, this is not the best time. It is not as valuable as it was before the Supreme Court ruling. We sat down here for 7 months without salaries and benefits, and no gas, then I heard people accusing me of taking money.”
He spoke candidly about the mounting pressure on his office and staff, revealing that more than 60 employees under his leadership had gone unpaid for months.
Former Speaker said: “You only see Fonati Koffa, but you don’t see the people behind him. How long can I ask my 60 employees who have not received salaries for months to hold on? How can I ask my colleagues, whose salaries and benefits have been withheld for months, to hold on?”
Quoting 2 Timothy 4:7 to underscore the gravity of his decision, Koffa said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,” citing.
In his official letter of resignation, then Speaker Koffa wrote, “Please inform the members of my resignation from the Office of Speaker effective 12 noon today.”
He furthered: “In accordance with the Constitution and our rules, Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah will become presiding officer and acting Speaker until a new Speaker is elected.”
His Monday, May 12, 2025 resignation brought to an end months of tension and uncertainty within the Legislature, and paved the way for election of a new Speaker.
On Tuesday, members of the House, both majority and minority blocs, convened in Session for the momentous election that marked the beginning of a new chapter for the 55th National Legislature – the House of Representatives.
At the end of their normal legislative procedures as per their rules followed by the casting of votes, Representative Koon emerged as Speaker, defeating Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility by a vote of 43 to 26.
With his election, Koon status as Speaker is now being legalized or legitimized.
Immediately after elections and swearing in, Speaker Koon in no time got down to business by organizing the House’s internal structure, appointing leadership for key committees.
Representative James Kolleh and Representative P. Mike Jury were both tapped to chair the Committee on Rules, Order and Administration. Representative Sekou Kanneh was appointed as Chairperson of the Committee on Executive, with Representative Emmanuel Dahn named Co-Chair. Representative Nehker Gaye will lead the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Speaker Koon stated that additional appointments to standing and statutory committees would be announced during the next session day.
In the wake of his defeat, Representative Bility struck a conciliatory tone. Taking to his Facebook page, he wrote, “We lost an election. But democracy has been restored to the House of Representatives. Liberia wins. The rule of law wins.” His statement resonated across social media, earning praise even from some political opponents who saw it as a call for unity following months of division.
