Liberia: House Slams President for Breaking Constitution, Submitting Budget at RLJ Hotel - FrontPageAfrica

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MONROVIA – The leadership of the House of Representatives has expressed disappointment over President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s decision to submit the 2025 Draft National Budget to the House of Representatives’ presiding officer, bypassing the traditional protocol of addressing it directly to the Speaker.

By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, gerald.koinyeneh @frontpageafricaonline.com

In a strongly worded statement issued Monday, the House leadership emphasized that the move undermines the authority of his office and the constitutional framework governing the House of Representatives.

“We note with disappointment that the president has chosen to deliver the budget to the presiding officer outside of the usual protocol of directly addressing the speaker,” the leadership said. “Nevertheless, we take note that the budget is addressed to the speaker and in keeping with article 49 of the constitution of Liberia, the “The House of Representative shall elect once every six years a Speaker who shall be the presiding officer of that body…”

Controversial Submission Location

The leadership revealed that the budget was delivered to the Deputy Chief Clerk at the RLJ Resort, which is currently serving as the meeting site for a majority bloc of lawmakers who have distanced themselves from Speaker Koffa’s leadership.

“We must warn all parties not to further jeopardize our constitutional scheme by attempting to illegally act on the budget,” he cautioned, describing the Deputy Chief Clerk as a “renegade” for his role in receiving the draft budget.

The leadership further instructed the Deputy Chief Clerk to immediately deliver the communication, which the Executive said is addressed to the presiding officer, to the Speaker’s office for proper handling.

Alleged Violation of Public Financial Management Law

The pro-Koffa group accused the administration of violating the Presentment Clause of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Law by bypassing the Speaker’s office. “This submission, as it stands, violates the presentment clause of the PFM laws. We will see you in court,” they warned, signaling potential legal action.

Escalating Leadership Crisis

The dispute over the budget submission comes amid a deepening leadership crisis in the House of Representatives. The House remains divided, with one bloc—comprising the majority of lawmakers—meeting under the leadership of Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah in a separate chamber. Meanwhile, Speaker Koffa continues to meet with his loyalists in the main chamber, although he has not been able to meet quorum.

The constitutional and procedural disagreements have already delayed the timely submission of the national budget, which the Public Financial Management Law mandates be submitted by October 31.

Implications for Budget Approval

The pro-Koffa group’s criticism and the ongoing division in the House could further complicate the budget approval process, potentially delaying critical appropriations for the 2025 fiscal year.

This latest episode highlights the widening rift in the Legislature and raises questions about the impact of the internal leadership crisis on governance and national development.