-Opposition Signals Readiness for Actions, Gives Boakai 72-Hour Ultimatum
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia: Liberia’s opposition coalition has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to President Joseph Boakai, threatening nationwide mass mobilization unless he retracts his support for a legislative faction declared illegal by the Supreme Court. CDC Acting Chairman Atty. Janga Kowo warned, “From now to Tuesday, there will be no sleep; we will mobilize the people.”
A coalition of four major opposition parties – the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Alternative National Congress (ANC), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), and Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) – alongside political advocacy group STAND have demanded President Boakai reverse what they consider as his controversial endorsement of Representative Richard Koon’s group on Tuesday, following a Supreme Court ruling that declared the faction’s actions illegal.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Liberia’s Supreme Court, in a decision read by Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Young, declared all actions taken by the House of Representatives’ majority bloc unconstitutional if conducted without the elected Speaker presiding—unless the Speaker is formally absent or incapacitated. The ruling was intended to resolve a months-long political impasse that has paralyzed legislative functions and deepened divisions within the government.
Declaring that Liberia’s government “will not be held hostage,” President Joseph Nyuma Boakai announced on Thursday his administration would work with the available legislative quorum. Boakai asserted that his administration would adhere to the Supreme Court’s definition of a quorum to ensure governance continues. “We will work with the quorum that ensures the full functioning of our government,” he said.
Since the birth of the impasse, only the self-styled “Majority Bloc” has been able to have a quorum to conduct legislative business. Because of this, the Executive and Senate have been working with the Bloc.
Koffa, on the other hand, has been unable to acquire 36 of his colleagues (Him making them 37) to conduct business, as required by Article 33 of the 1986 constitution of the Republic of Liberia.
Undoubtedly, this has hindered his ability to take hold of his post. Article 33 states that… “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. Whenever the House of Representatives and the Senate shall meet in joint session, the presiding officer of the House of Representatives shall preside.”
Now, President Boakai appears to still be willing to work with the “Majority Bloc” even though the high court has said that all decisions taken by them have been beyond their authority, including the removal of Koffa. However, the opposition community doesn’t seem well with the president’s decision. At a high-profile press conference attended by prominent figures including former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor and former Montserrado County District #8 Representative Acarous Moses Gray, Atty. Janga Kowo, CDC’s Acting Chairman, accused the administration of constitutional violations.
He warned that “what is keeping you in power is not the police, not the army; it is the Liberian people.”
Kowo emphasized the opposition’s readiness for action, stating they are documenting government excesses and called on international partners to intervene, as ANC’s acting chairman Lafayette Gould revealed plans for opposition leaders to personally join upcoming protests, signaling an escalation in their resistance strategy.
Liberia appears to be teetering on the brink of a constitutional crisis as tensions between the legislative and judicial branches escalate following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the House of Representatives leadership dispute. Since the high court of Liberia ruled in the House of Representatives impasse, Montserrado County District #11 Representative Richard N. Koon and his self-styled “Majority Bloc” have refused to comply with the Court’s order.
In a recent statement, the Bloc vowed that they will not allow Speaker Koffa to preside over any Sitting or Meeting of the House of Representatives. “The Leadership of the House informs the Liberian public that under no circumstance shall Plenary allow Hon. Koffa to preside over any Sitting or Meeting of the House of Representatives-” Hon, Richard Nagbe Koon, via the House of Representatives Facebook page.
However, on Friday, the Majority Bloc petitioned the Supreme Court to reconsider its April 23 ruling that declared legislative actions taken without Deputy Speaker J. Fonati Koffa presiding unconstitutional.
The petition, filed and endorsed by lawyers Albert Sims and Varney Sherman, argues that Koffa was lawfully removed by a two-thirds majority vote under Article 49 of the Constitution and the House’s Standing Rules. The bloc insists the Court overlooked key facts, including alleged procedural irregularities and the lack of quorum on Koffa’s side.
The House of Representatives standoff stems from a controversial leadership change on November 21, 2024, when Koon was elected Speaker in a disputed vote, replacing Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa. Koffa’s supporters allege procedural violations and constitutional breaches, branding the transition as fraudulent.
Since then, the “Majority Bloc” has taken aggressive measures, including: Suspending 16 out of 73 lawmakers, predominantly from the minority bloc, leaving thousands of citizens without representation, restructuring House leadership without consensus– Authorizing the forceful treatment of dissenting lawmakers, and orchestrating a break-in into Representative Yekeh Kolubah’s vehicle under Koon’s directives. The period of the dispute has also displayed an arson attack on the Capitol Building, which the Liberia National Police (LNP) confirmed was deliberately set.
