Montserrado County district #11 Representative Richard Nagbe Koon’s ambition to take hold of the speakership gavel at the House of Representatives is getting a huge boast, as one of those who earlier declared his ambition for the lower house’s highest post has joined ranks to produce one candidate.
Representative Koon, is a Unity Party lawmaker, who was reelected during the October 10, 2023 presidential and legislative elections, while Musa H. Bility won the Nimba County district #7 race on the ticket of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) of Mr. Alexander B. Cummings.
Bility recently announced his ambition to run for the speakership, a decision that received the backing of Senator Prince Y. Johnson, the man considered the political godfather of Nimba.
The decision for the collaboration was announced at the close of a meeting between the UP Legislative Alliance and that of Musa Bility Block on Thursday, December 14, 2023 in Congo Town. Speaking to a team of legislative reporters, minutes following the adjournment of the meeting, Mr. Bility said his block and that of the Unity Party Alliance had realized that they cannot win the election in the absence of a collaboration.
“The two camps that you see in the meeting have realized they can only win when they get together and that’s why we have unanimously agreed to do”.
Bility claims he is taking along 21 lawmakers to the collaboration, even though it is yet to be independently authenticated, but remains optimistic the joint efforts can produce the speaker and the deputy speaker.
“Musa Hassan Bility and his supporters of 21 lawmakers and the Unity Party Alliance have agreed to form a collaboration for the speakership and deputy speakership respectively”.
According to the CPP Chairman, he had held talks with both the UP and the CDC for a possible merger, but he chose the former over the latter.
“We have talked to the CDC and the UP and all I know is that the UP is more acceptable, more reasonable and more pragmatic than the CDC.
Speaking to reporters briefly following the meeting, Representative Koon said the two blocks have agreed to forge a collaboration for the purpose of producing the speaker and deputy speaker in January, 2023.
“The Unity and its Alliance have agreed to work with Honorable Musa Bility of the CPP. We have come to a merger for the two blocks coming together to produce the speaker and the deputy speaker”.
The public and some members of the House are skeptical that the House of Representative would be a rubber stamp body if the presiding officer comes from the ruling party, but the speaker wannabe told legislative reporters that the case will be different under his dreamed leadership. He said unlike Speaker Bhofal Chambers who was “handpicked” by President Weah, his (Koon) selection is a product of consensus among members of the Unity Party Legislative Alliance.
“What happened in the 54th will not happen in the 55th Legislature. In the 54th Bhofal Chambers was handpicked by the president”.
Reports say the UP Legislative Alliance comprises 27 members. It’s not clear as to whether the Bility Block will produce the deputy speaker, but pundits think the CPP lawmaker is eying the second most powerful position at the House of Representatives. With the deal expected to be consummated in the next 48 hours as mentioned by both Koon and Bility, it means the UP Legislative Alliance could be boasting of 48 lawmakers, a number capable of making any side wins.
The elections for both the speaker and deputy speaker are expected to be held on January 15, 2024.
Reporting by Trokon A. Freeman
