Monrovia – In an escalating political battle within the House of Representatives, the Majority Bloc has extended the suspensions of two Minority Bloc members, accusing them of violating previous mandates. 

By Selma Lomax, Selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com and Willie Tokpah, willie.tokpah@frontpageafricaonline.com

Bong County Representative Marvin Cole and Montserrado County Representative Edward Papie Flomo, both of whom from the Minority Bloc, had their suspensions renewed for an additional thirty session days — equivalent to three more months.

The Majority Bloc-controlled Plenary reached this decision during the 16th Day Sitting of the First Quarter of the 2nd Session on Tuesday, March 18. 

The Majority Bloc claims that Reps. Cole and Flomo were seen multiple times on Capitol grounds, violating the terms of their suspensions, which barred them from the premises.

This latest action has raised alarms among political observers, who accuse the Majority Bloc of ‘weaponizing’ the suspension process to silence dissent ahead of critical Supreme Court hearings that could alter the legislative balance of power. 

The Majority Bloc’s extension of the suspensions follows an initial decision made in November 2024, when Cole, Flomo, and Montserrado District 15 Representative Abu Bana Kamara were suspended for misconduct. 

Kamara complied with the terms of his suspension, according to the Majority Bloc, but Cole and Flomo reportedly continued to defy the restrictions, leading to the extension of their suspensions until May 2025. This brings the total number of lawmakers under suspension to 18. 

In an unexpected move, the suspension of Representative Kamara was lifted, with Plenary restoring his rights, privileges, and benefits after he adhered to the terms of his suspension.

The renewed suspensions have intensified the ongoing power struggle between the Majority and Minority blocs. In response to the extension of his suspension, Marvin Cole appeared on the Voice of Liberia radio station on Tuesday, reiterating his defiance. 

“The only authority that can validate my suspension is the Supreme Court of Liberia. If the Supreme Court rules on March 26 in favor of the Majority Bloc and declares their actions legal, then I will accept my suspension. However, if the Supreme Court rules that the Majority Bloc’s actions are illegal and they continue to insist on my suspension, we will make this country ungovernable for President Joseph Boakai. 

“All 25 representatives from the Majority Bloc who are facing illegal suspensions have the capacity to mobilize over one hundred thousand of our constituents to protest at the Capitol Building. This is a warning to the president,” Cole warned.

In addition to the suspensions of Cole and Flomo, the Majority Bloc also suspended several lawmakers for persistent unexcused absences, including embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, Musa Bility, and others from the Minority Bloc, in accordance with House Rule 21.1, which dictates that members who miss sessions without approval for more than two weeks are subject to penalties. 

The Majority Bloc has also warned that further violations of the suspension terms will lead to additional disciplinary action.

Koffa, a key figure in the Minority Bloc, also condemned the Majority Bloc’s action.

Koffa voiced his opposition to his suspension and the renewed suspensions of Cole and Flomo. He went on to criticize the Majority Bloc’s interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling, claiming, “If the Supreme Court grants our request, we will return to status quo ante and we expect everyone to abide by the law. Without the rule of law, our democracy will perish.”

Koffa further emphasized the dangerous precedence he believes the Majority Bloc is setting. “If we don’t like the law, then we need to change it. There is a process for that,” he added.  

The ongoing battle in the House of Representatives is now shifting to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear two pivotal cases that could reshape the political landscape. 

The first, a Bill of Information, was filed by Koffa and other members of the Minority Bloc against the Speaker of the Majority Bloc, Richard Koon and his leadership. The case challenges the authority of the Majority Bloc’s actions, which some allege have been politically motivated.

The second case involves a petition for the Writ of Mandamus, filed by several members of the Minority Bloc, including Cole, Flomo, and others. This petition seeks to compel the Ministry of Finance to address legislative funding issues and resolve financial disputes that have further complicated the power struggle in the legislature.

The Supreme Court hearings are set for March 19 and March 26, respectively, with legal representatives from both sides preparing to present their arguments before the full bench.

The upcoming Supreme Court rulings could either solidify or undermine the Majority Bloc’s grip on power, with far-reaching consequences for Liberia’s political future. 

MONROVIA – In defiance to the Supreme Court’s directive which ordered all actions of the majority bloc regarding the leadership dispute in the House of Representatives to be suspended pending the outcome of a conference early next month, the majority bloc Tuesday held “session”, insisting they won’t honor the writ of prohibition by Justice in Chambers Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay.

By Selma Lomax selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com & Edwin Genoway, edwin.genoway@frontpageafricaonline.com

Representative Samuel Kogar of Nimba’s fifth district and leader of the majority bloc told his colleagues in “session” Tuesday that the court cannot tell the House of Representatives what to do as it relates to its leadership. “We will continue to go hold our “session” and no one can’t stop us,” he said.

However, a member of the Koffa bloc, Representative Yekeh Kolubah, in an interview with legislative reporters, said that if the Majority bloc fails to secure the 49 votes required to oust Koffa, they, too, will continue to hold separate session, a move he believes would strangulate the government.

“We didn’t have the quorum today because we didn’t have the required numbers, just as the so-called majority bloc. We will continue like this until it reaches a point where the Executive will be compelled to do business with us because we have a legitimate Speaker,” he said.

This Supreme Court’s intervention follows a petition by the embattled House Speaker Fonati Koffa, who has been accused of corruption and ineffective leadership. 

Since then, the House of Representatives has been enmeshed in turbulence, with Speaker Koffa’s authority challenged. On October 24, 2024, Koffa attempted to solidify his position by filing a writ of prohibition with the Supreme Court to prevent the Anti-Koffa bloc from conducting separate sessions, which he deemed illegal. 

This defiance by the majority bloc raises a looming constitutional crisis, as the judiciary and legislature clash over their respective powers and authorities. As tension heightens between the judiciary and the legislature over exerting their respective powers, Liberians have been divided over which branch of government has the legitimate power to enforce its constitutional power.

While the Constitution gives the Supreme Court the power to be the final arbiter of justice and the highest Court to entertain and interpret constitutional matters, there is a huge missing link between how the Supreme Court interprets constitutional matters when it comes to the internal events at the National Legislature.

However, some renowned lawyers, speaking on condition anonymity, have defended the Supreme Court’s directive. One lawyer told FrontPageAfrica, “any case involving the Constitution where the Executive or Legislature are involved, the Supreme Court, the highest court, universally has jurisdiction over that case – I mean in common law jurisdictions.”

He added, “the Supreme Court on its own (sua sponte) cited those lawmakers to hear the dispute between them and Koffa, then the Court would be interfering in legislative affairs. If it was Koffa who sought the Court’s intervention, the Court has the obligation to first determine whether or not it has jurisdiction over the case – this is done by hearing both parties in Court during pre-trial hearing before determining whether or not to hear the merits/facts of the case/dispute.”

Another lawyer told FrontPageAfrica, “Besides one’s constitutional rights to be heard, it’s his/her God-giving right to be heard by the court of law when he/she believes his/her right or the law/Constitution in which he/she has an interest is being violated, as in the case of Speaker Koffa.”

“Audi alterm_ _partem_ is a Latin doctrine in natural law which means “Let the parties be heard”. Therefore, let both Koffa and the lawmakers be heard for the Court to decide whether or not it has jurisdiction to hear the merits of the case.”

However, another lawyer told FrontPageAfrica, “if the Supreme Court makes any adverse decision against the lawmakers, they can use their lawmaking power by enacting a law to override the Supreme Court’s decision. That legislative act now becomes the law, which enacted law can also be challenged and overturned by the Supreme Court for being in violation of the Constitution. This can go on-and-on between the Supreme Court and the Legislature. This is democracy and this is how our jurisprudence develops.”

Sympathy without recognition
As the political tensions escalate, the majority bloc has also issued a statement of sympathy regarding the recent passing of Mrs. Helen Juah Senyon Howard, Chief of Staff for Speaker Koffa. However, notable for its implications, the statement referred to Speaker Koffa merely as “Hon. Koffa,” intentionally omitting the title “Speaker.” 

This act underscored the ongoing fracture between Speaker Koffa and the majority members and may symbolize a strategic effort to delegitimize his authority amidst calls for his removal.

At the same time, some political analysts interpret this move as indicative of a broader strategy to undermine Speaker Koffa’s standing within the House, raising concerns about the implications for governance and accountability. 

Meanwhile, political analysts believe that as the political landscape shifts, the standoff between the Majority Bloc and Koffa is poised to have lasting effects on the integrity of the House of Representatives and its ability to fulfill its obligations to the Liberian people. 

They asserted that in a country like Liberia where political stability is a priority, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining the future of Speaker Koffa and the direction of legislative leadership in Liberia.