Koffa Says He Resigned Because He Had No Power or Salary

Monrovia, Liberia: Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. Fonati Koffa, has publicly addressed the circumstances surrounding his recent resignation, pushing back against allegations of financial misconduct and shedding light on the challenges he and his office endured in the months leading to his departure.

In a candid statement, Koffa rejected claims that he accepted money as part of a political deal prior to stepping down.

“If I wanted to take money before I resign, this is not the best time,” Koffa stated. “It is not as valuable as it was before the Supreme Court ruling.”

Koffa pointed to a prolonged period of financial hardship endured by his office, including months without salary, benefits, or fuel supplies. He expressed frustration over being accused of corruption despite enduring these constraints.

“We sat down here for seven months without salaries and benefits, and no gas. Then I heard people accusing me of taking money,” he said. “You only see Fonati Koffa, but you don’t see the people behind him.”

The former Speaker highlighted the burden of managing a team of 60 employees who, like him, have gone unpaid for months. He also emphasized the toll the situation has taken on his colleagues in the legislature.

“How long can I ask my 60 employees who have not received salaries for months to hold on?” he asked. “How can I ask my colleagues, whose salaries and benefits have been withheld for months, to hold on?”

Koffa questioned the point of holding onto a title when the authority that comes with it has been stripped away.

“What is the reason to hold on?” he asked. “Should I continue sitting home with the title, and someone is exercising the power? In my mind, I think it is not a good thing to do.”

resignation, Cllr. Koffa stated that why it remains a public perception in Liberia that there’s nobody with integrity, yet he and other colleagues had stayed for the past six months without salaries and other benefits but kept their stance.

‘But let me say this for the record, ‘No money exchange hands contrary to the Rescue Propaganda’. Former Speaker Koffa told Journalist.

Over the weekend, the Rule of Law group, led by Representative Musa Hassan Bility, cited persistent defiance of Supreme Court rulings by the Executive Branch, a lessening base of legislative support for Koffa, and the urgent need to restore constitutional order through a new Speaker election under Article 49 of the Liberian Constitution.

“The continuous defiance of the Rule of Law by the Executive despite one Supreme Court ruling and its reaffirmation shows that we are confronted by a much more alarming constitutional dilemma than the Office of the Speaker,” the statement read.

Koffa’s resignation follows weeks of speculation he had previously dismissed as unfounded. In late April, he strongly denied any plans to vacate the Speakership, calling the reports politically driven. 

Cllr. Koffa early this morning held a session with members of the  Rules of Law that supported his cause stressing his gratitude to his colleagues  for being resolute in the defense for the Rule of Law.