After months of political tension and disagreements over his leadership of the 55th Legislature, Speaker of the House of Representatives J. Fonati Koffa is about to step down.
According to legislative sources, Speaker Koffa and a group of lawmakers who support him have written and sent to former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf a formal resignation proposal.
Sirleaf was selected to receive the communication due to her perceived neutrality, absence of political ambition, and her current role within ECOWAS diplomacy.
As part of the negotiated terms, Koffa will receive all outstanding salaries and benefits due him during the leadership dispute. Additionally, lawmakers previously suspended by the Majority Bloc will begin receiving their salaries again starting May 1.
Prior to the House’s upcoming session on May 13, former President Sirleaf is anticipated to deliver Koffa’s letter of resignation to the Chief Clerk. It is anticipated that the House will declare the speakership vacant after it has been formally presented and acknowledged.
As mandated by the standing rules and orders, Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah will assume temporary leadership of the House and oversee the election of a new Speaker within 60 days, in accordance with legislative procedure.
In attempts to address a lengthy leadership crisis that has halted legislative activity and widened political rifts in the Lower House, Koffa’s resignation may be a turning point. The direction and atmosphere of the 55th Legislature in the next months will probably be influenced by the forthcoming Speaker election.
Since October 2024, the House of Representatives has been engulfed in confusion regarding its leadership, following attempts by some members to remove Speaker Fonati Koffa due to concerns about his leadership.
The political turmoil ultimately reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in Koffa’s favor. However, members of the Majority Bloc, led by Representative Richard Koon, have since refused to accept the court’s ruling.
