As Lawmakers Urge Him to Recuse Himself or Get Ousted
Monrovia: As the House of Representatives today, Monday, January 12, 2026, resumes activities for its First Quarter of the Third Session of the 55th Legislature of the Republic of Liberia, dozens of lawmakers remain unhappy with Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, a feeling that has led to the loss of confidence in him, as push continues for his removal.
By Jerromie S. Walters/wjerromie@womenvoicesnewspaper_i2sktp
In the last few months, Speaker Koon has been in the news the wrong way, if not the worst way, with stringent allegations including incest, bigamy, and U.S. immigration fraud. Even before the allegations became tense, at least twenty-two (22) lawmakers met in the Police Academy community on December 21, 2025, to discuss plans aimed at removing the Speaker. According to sources, the meeting brought together several representatives from the majority bloc who aligned with members of the minority bloc over what they described as growing concerns about leadership and accountability within the House.
The sources disclosed that the lawmakers agreed to jointly sign a ten-count resolution calling for the removal of Koon, Four (4) members of the Ways, Means, and Finance Committee, One (1) member of the Rules and Order Committee. It is further reported that the twenty-two aggrieved lawmakers, most of whom belong to the majority bloc loyal to Speaker Richard Koon, cited several reasons for their decision.
These include alleged lack of accountability, poor and irresponsible leadership, marginalization of members, usurpation of committee functions, and alleged financial malpractices, among others. As part of their agreed actions, the lawmakers resolved to initially boycott the President’s upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA).
As the allegations of incest, bigamy, and U.S. immigration fraud add to the existing disenchantment of the lawmakers, the calls and efforts for his removal have heightened. Because of this tension, Speaker Koon has taken the opening sitting of the First Quarter of the Third Session of the 55th Legislature to the Providence Baptist Church.
Koon says the move reflects a deliberate effort to reconnect the Legislature with the nation’s foundational values. He noted that returning to the historic venue serves as a reminder of the humility, discipline, and sense of purpose that guided Liberia’s early leadership. The Providence Baptist Church holds deep historical significance, having served as the meeting place for Liberia’s earliest lawmakers long before the construction of the Capitol Building.
A New Year’s Day voice message from Bong County District #3 Representative J. Marvin Cole, obtained by this publication, directly urged Speaker Koon to relinquish his post to address the allegations.
He believes the allegations are severe and don’t paint a good image for the legislative body, especially with Koon as the Speaker.
Cole: “I was reminded of the conversation that was in the chatroom yesterday where the Speaker validated that Cecelia Kpor Koon is his biological sister, which leads us to the fact that [Richard Koon] at this time you should recuse yourself. You have committed crimes under our marital law… until we get reasons why you married your sister, I think you have lost legitimacy to preside as speaker. So it is just the right thing for you to recuse yourself.” As of today, scores of lawmakers have maintained that they would not sit under Speaker Koon’s gavel.
However, Koon’s speakership was forged with crucial support from the Executive during the crisis that ousted Koffa. Many now believe that seat can only be held with it—and that President Boakai’s confidence in Koon remains intact.
His ascendancy to the position was controversial. It all started from an internal conflict which began in October 2024 when a group of lawmakers moved to remove then-Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa. The situation escalated the following month with the controversial election of Richard Nagbe Koon as Speaker. Koffa’s supporters rejected the outcome, calling it fraudulent.
The standoff led to a series of confrontational actions, including the restructuring of the House’s leadership, hijacking of the 2025, budget, budget hearing, brutalization of several lawmakers under his instruction, and breaking in of Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah’s vehicle by police on his order, Koon’s installation of steel doors on the main chamber and his seizure of the former Speaker’s office and several other unorthodox acrs.
Liberia’s Supreme Court intervened on April 23, 2025. It ruled all official actions taken by Koon’s bloc without the elected Speaker were unconstitutional.
The ruling effectively invalidated Koon’s authority during that period. Cllr. Koffa resigned on May 12, 2025, to end the legislative impasse. The House accepted his resignation and held a new speakership election the next day. Richard Nagbe Koon officially won the position against Representative Musa Hassan Bility.
Koon’s Dilemma:
A retired U.S. Army officer, Cecelia Katherine Kpor, publicly accused House Speaker Koon of incest, bigamy, and U.S. immigration fraud during appearances on Spoon Radio and other online platforms. Kpor claims she remains legally married to the Speaker, stating their marriage occurred during her military service and continued for years without divorce.
The Speaker’s office and family responded swiftly with a dramatic counterclaim. They asserted that Kpor is not Koon’s wife, but rather his biological paternal sister. In a Facebook post, Speaker Koon urged Kpor to pursue claims in court, not the media. “I urge my sister, Mrs. Cecelia Koon Kpor, and all others who think that they have any legitimate claims against me, to use the courts for redress,” Koon wrote.
He called the media campaign a malicious attempt to damage his reputation and affirmed his commitment to leadership “rooted in character, discipline, and integrity.” His spokesperson, Vehzelee Sumo, detailed allegations of immigration fraud. Sumo stated Koon traveled to the U.S. via a World Bank faculty program, not a spousal petition, and brought his fiancée, Gifty Feika. He said they paid $1,200 monthly rent to stay at Kpor’s home.
Sumo alleged that Kpor later offered to file immigration paperwork for Koon if he posed as her husband in exchange for $35,000, a portion of his Liberian estate, and inclusion of his children in the process. He claimed Kpor forged marriage documents and Koon’s signature, and that Koon paid $10,000 and placed part of his estate under her control before backing out.
Kpor has dismissed these claims as “nonsense.” She confirms she has filed for divorce in a Liberian civil court, which she says Koon has not answered.
The controversy intensified with the emergence of official U.S. immigration documents that appear to contradict the family’s account, raising further credibility questions and ensuring the scandal will face deeper scrutiny.
