-As He Threatens Salary Cuts for Failing to Obtain Quorum on Tuesday
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon failed to secure the required 37-lawmaker quorum to conduct business on Tuesday, forcing an abrupt cancellation of the 6th day sitting of the Second Quarter of the third session of the House of Representatives. Despite directives ordering lawmakers to their seats, empty chairs dominated the chambers.
The legislative embarrassment comes just over a year after the self-proclaimed “Majority Bloc”—a coalition of over 47 legislators—propelled Koon to the speakership. Following his disappointing exit from the chambers, Speaker Koon threatened decisive disciplinary action against chronic absentees.
“We want to send a message to leadership,” Koon told reporters during media interaction. “Leadership will take precise measures against members who are always absent. This is just a caution. If they continue on this path, we will deduct their salaries for failing to do the Liberian people’s job on time.”
Article 33 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia states: “A simple majority of each House shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a lower number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members.”
The legislative paralysis mirrors the bitter leadership crisis that plagued the House between 2024 and 2025. However, Speaker Koon dismissed assertions that he is losing control of the plenary or that his colleagues have lost confidence in his leadership, answering reporters with a concise, “Not at all.” Political pundits note that Koon’s speakership heavily relies on backing from the Executive Mansion, and signals indicate that President Joseph Boakai’s confidence in the Speaker remains intact.
Koon’s rise to power stems from a tumultuous internal conflict that began in October 2024 when a faction of lawmakers “Majority Bloc” plotted to oust then-Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa. The friction escalated into a controversial election that placed Koon in the speaker’s chair, an outcome Koffa’s supporters immediately rejected as fraudulent. The bitter rivalry deepened when Gbarpolu County Representative Luther Collins publicly admitted to receiving an initial $15,000 of a promised $25,000 payout, funded by sources hinting at the Executive, to bankroll Koffa’s removal.
The controversy deepened in early December 2024 when the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled that actions taken by the Majority Bloc during the leadership standoff were “ultra vires” (beyond their legal authority) if they deviated from the intent of Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution. However, on December 10, 2024, both the Executive Branch and the Liberian Senate endorsed the Majority Bloc’s actions, further complicating the matter.
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 embattled Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah’s vehicle by police on his order, and Koon’s installation of steel doors on the main chamber.
The crisis took a violent turn on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, when the Majority Bloc forcibly evicted former Speaker Koffa from his office. The eviction, led by Bong County Representative James Kolleh, involved breaking into the Speaker’s office and removing Koffa’s personal belongings. Kolleh admitted that no court order authorized the eviction but argued that Koffa had not obtained the office through legal means.
Liberia’s Supreme Court came up with a clearer position on the matter on April 23, 2025, ruling 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.
In February of last year, the Montserrado County District #11 lawmaker openly declared himself the “regime Speaker” and revealed that the true motive behind the removal of former House Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa was because the government didn’t want an “opposition Speaker”.
His words: “That’s why we said an opposition Speaker will not push our agenda. We need to have our own Speaker. Today, I am the regime Speaker, the Speaker of the Republic of Liberia, who is 100 percent supporting His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai. No Speaker from the opposition will promote our agenda.”
