Liberia: STAND Welcomes Supreme Court Ruling Affirming Koffa’s Legitimacy, Urges Legislature to Comply - FrontPageAfrica

Monrovia – The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), a leading civil society group and key convener of the upcoming July 17th “We the People” protest, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling reaffirming J. Fonati Koffa as the legitimate Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

By Selma Lomax selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com

The group praised the Court’s decision on the Bill of Information as a “powerful reaffirmation of constitutional supremacy” and a clear victory for the rule of law.

In a statement issued Wednesday, STAND called on the House of Representatives to “immediately honor and implement” the ruling, stressing that compliance is not a political choice but a national duty. 

The group warned that continued defiance would deepen the current political crisis and threaten Liberia’s already fragile democracy.

“Failure to do so will only deepen the wounds inflicted on Liberia’s fragile democracy by reckless power plays and factional arrogance,” the statement said.

STAND also issued a sharp rebuke to President Joseph Boakai, urging him to end all forms of support — “overt or covert” — to the so-called “Majority Bloc” that attempted to unseat Speaker Koffa. The organization accused the bloc of orchestrating an “illegitimate power grab” that has stalled the work of the Legislature and distracted from urgent national priorities.

“STAND calls on the President to rise above partisan interests and exercise true statesmanship by reigning in his allies, ending the manufactured chaos, and shifting focus back to governance—especially the urgent, everyday struggles of the Liberian people who are crushed under the weight of poverty and economic hardship,” the group said.

Expressing outrage over what it described as a “self-centered power tussle” in the National Legislature, STAND warned of consequences if lawmakers continue to ignore the ruling. The group said it is prepared to initiate a wave of civil resistance, including mass mobilization and sustained public protest, if the Court’s decision is not enforced.

“In alliance with the ‘We the People’ protest movement, STAND delivers this final and unequivocal warning: Any continued defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling will trigger a nonviolent public action (sustained and unrelenting) until justice is upheld and the rule of law is fully restored,” the group noted.

STAND also thanked the thousands of citizens who participated in its recent press conference, praising their commitment to defending democracy. It announced plans to expand its advocacy through a county-by-county mobilization campaign ahead of the July 17th protest. Thousands of protest T-shirts, the group said, are currently being printed in preparation for what it has dubbed “The Day of the People.”

The Supreme Court’s ruling, which declared Koffa’s removal unconstitutional, has been hailed by several political parties, civil society actors, and former President George Weah as a major step toward restoring constitutional order.

STAND