MONROVIA – Several leaders of Liberia’s opposition political parties on Monday jointly issued a strong statement calling for calm amid the ongoing leadership standoff at the House of Representatives, following a Supreme Court ruling that reinstated embattled Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa.
In a press conference held in Monrovia, the Honorable Atty. George Sylvester Mulbah, Chairman of the National Patriotic Party; Chief Moses Y. Kollie, Chairman of the Liberia People Democratic Party; and Benjamin Kalala Massaquoi, Acting Chairman of the People’s Unification Party, along with Jamah Allison Barco, National President of the North Central Alliance, emphasized the need to preserve peace and stability in the country.
The political leaders said they fully accept the Supreme Court’s opinion, delivered on April 23, 2025, which found that the Majority Bloc of the House had acted improperly in removing Koffa from the Speakership. They also welcomed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s public acceptance of the Court’s decision and his commitment to continue working with a constitutionally recognized quorum to carry out government functions.
However, the group raised concerns over what they described as “incendiary utterances” from certain political parties reacting to the Court’s decision. According to them, such remarks have the potential to endanger Liberia’s hard-won peace.
“As a government-in-waiting, we will continue to condemn everything that tends to threaten our existence as a country and a people,” the statement read. “The Liberian people are weary of violence, discord, and belligerence. We must settle governance issues through peaceful negotiations, not through chaos.”
The opposition leaders reminded the public of Liberia’s turbulent past, referencing the scars of the 14-year civil war, the Ebola epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic. They warned those “championing instability” that they would resist any attempt to plunge the country back into crisis.
In addition to their call for calm, the opposition leaders urged President Boakai to take a more proactive role in resolving the leadership crisis at the Legislature. They asked the President to convene a broad-based dialogue involving political parties, religious groups, traditional leaders, and civil society organizations to mediate a peaceful and final resolution to the impasse.
“We are embarrassed as a country,” the statement noted. “Therefore, we respectfully call on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to do all within his powers to gather all necessary stakeholders to find a peaceful resolution to this stalemate.”
Concluding their remarks, the leaders called on all Liberians to remain law-abiding, assuring the public that efforts are underway to consolidate the nation’s peace and democratic gains.
