After months of political pressure and several Supreme Court rulings affirming his position, Cllr. Fonati Koffa resigned as Speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday, May 12, 2025, but rejected allegations of financial impropriety and attributed his resignation to the challenges he and his office faced during a prolonged leadership stalemate.
During a press conference, former Speaker Koffa explained that his decision to step down was strategic, aiming to prevent further legislative chaos and potential violence. He highlighted the financial hardships that had plagued his office, noting that he and his team had gone months without salaries, benefits, or fuel supplies. “We sat here for seven months without receiving our salaries and benefits. Then I hear people accusing me of taking money,” he stated.
Koffa emphasized that while people often view him as an individual, they overlook the efforts of his team, which consists of 60 employees who have also not been paid for months. “How long can I ask my 60 employees, who have not received their salaries, to hold on? How can I ask my colleagues, whose compensation has been withheld for months, to wait any longer?” he questioned.
He expressed that there was no reason to retain the title of Speaker when the authority associated with it had been effectively stripped away. “There is no point in being a Speaker while someone else exercises the power and privileges of the office. In my mind, that’s not a wise use of my time,” Koffa stated.
Koffa noted that the situation changed dramatically after President Joseph Boakai publicly stated his intention to collaborate with the Majority Bloc, which ultimately isolated him. “Once that changed, we had to reassess our involvement. We started to lose some of our most committed members after the president’s statement. However, let me clarify: no money exchanged hands contrary to the propaganda from the Rescue party,” he told reporters.
He firmly stated that a new election for the Speaker of the House of Representatives is necessary following his resignation, emphasizing that his departure has created a vacancy, as supported by the Constitution and House Rules. Furthermore, Koffa announced plans to release a book titled “From 1 to 73: The Conspiracy at the Capitol.”
