A tense political battle within the House of Representatives has spilled over to the ECOWAS Parliament, where three lawmakers appointed under the leadership of embattled Speaker Fonati Koffa continue to sit despite efforts to replace them. Representatives Samuel Enders, Moima Briggs-Mensah, and Taa Wongbe are attending the current ECOWAS session in Abuja, Nigeria, defying moves by the Majority Bloc, which is seeking to undo Koffa’s appointments.
The Majority Bloc, led by Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah and Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon, initiated a series of actions after Koffa’s removal from the Speaker’s position. Backed by the executive and the Liberian Senate, the Majority Bloc has attempted to overhaul Koffa’s committee appointments and suspend several of his allies. Koon, who succeeded Koffa, has made sweeping changes, including replacing lawmakers and withholding salaries, but these efforts have faced legal challenges. The Supreme Court ruled that many of these actions were carried out without proper legal authority.
Despite this, the Majority Bloc has continued to hold sway over the House. However, their attempts to remove the Koffa-appointed lawmakers from the ECOWAS Parliament have been unsuccessful. The delegation of Enders, Briggs-Mensah, and Wongbe remains in Abuja, as the ECOWAS Parliament has yet to act on a communication from Speaker Koon seeking their replacement. According to the parliamentary rules, a member can only be replaced due to death, resignation, or incapacity, and as the Koffa-appointed lawmakers have not resigned or been incapacitated, they remain eligible to attend and vote.
The ongoing political instability in the legislature raises questions about the functioning of the country’s government and its representation abroad. While the Majority Bloc has successfully taken control of the House of Representatives domestically, their failure to replace the Koffa-appointed delegates in the regional parliament is a reminder of the complexity of the political conflict. The division among Liberia’s lawmakers continues to reflect power struggle, with no clear resolution in sight.
