By Agnes Tarr – Blaze News Legislative Reporter
Monday, January 15th sent a resounding message to President-elect Boakai and his UP that Koffa and his CDC still has muscle to wield power in the National Legislature. In a hotly contested Speaker elections held Monday, Deputy Speaker Fonati Koffa collected 36 out of 67 votes of the members of the House of Representatives to clinch the speakership.
Fonati Koffa beat his UP-opponent Richard Koon by a five-vote margin. Richard Koon was the favorite of the soon-to-be ruling Unity Party. It was clear that most of the current representatives who are leaving the House were hell-bound to vote their deputy speaker to the third position in the line of presidency per the constitution of Liberia.
J. Fonati Koffa of Grand Kru County’s District #2 is Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, to succeed Dr. Bhofer Chambers who is still gasping got air to maintain his seat. Chambers is preparing for a rerun of districts 1 and 2 in Maryland County.
Speaker Koffa’s victory did not come easily. A massive media pressure was mounted by the UP and its auxiliaries to ensure that he did not become the Speaker of the 55th Legislature of Liberia. In fact, Speaker Koffa’s Liberian citizenship was called into question, with some UP stalwarts claiming that Koffa is a US citizen which they claim disqualifies him from seeking the position of Speaker in Liberia.
Speaking following the election, the speaker-elect stressed the need of establishing a war and economic crimes court to ensure justice the victims of the 14-year fratricidal war that claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Liberians. If Speaker-elect Koffa’s plead falls on fertile grounds, the Liberian justice system is about to see the prosecution of warlords who meted heinous crimes against civilian population of Liberia.
Speaker-elect Koffa has meanwhile pledged to engender a working relationship with President-elect, Joseph Boakai for what he termed as “meaningful agenda for the country.”
J. Fonita Koffa was elected as representative in 2017 to serve District #2 of Grand Kru County. He later elevated to the deputy speaker position in 2018. He is a lawyer by profession. His past conviction in the US could not stop his colleagues from enthroning him as their speaker.
But if you thought the celebration stopped at Fonati, you are wrong. Another member of the CDC caucus of the House of Representative, Mr. Thomas Fallah of Lofa County’s District #2 has won the deputy speakership.
Rep. Fallah has served the house of representatives for 18 years – three terms in Montserrado D#5 and has again won the confidence of his people Lofa County District #2 for another 6 years. Thomas Fallah is credited to ensuring that Weah sliced a big chunk of Boakai’s Lofa votes, although the latter went on to win the county.
