By Bridgett Milton
Outgoing House Speaker Bhofal Chambers has descended on his deputy Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, attacking his preparedness for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Chambers’ attack comes as lawmakers engage in tense political alignment in the lead-up to the Speakership election due on Capitol Hill later this month.
Cllr. Koffa, a re-elected representative of Grand Kru County is seeking the top legislative office while his boss Mr. Chambers continues to battle his defeat at the district level following the October presidential and legislative elections.
A former student leader and petty trader Mr. Anthony Williams beat Mr. Chambers during last year’s polls and the incumbent lawmaker has failed to get the National Elections Commission (NEC) to overturn the election outcome.
Chambers’ last hope is at the Supreme Court of Liberia. In the wake of his election woes from Maryland County, the long-serving representative appears to be directing his anger at his deputy, Cllr. Koffa.
Chambers has told journalists covering a press conference Wednesday, 3 January 2024 that his deputy Cllr. Koffa is not prepared for the Speakership position.
He alleged that on so many occasions, he has called Koffa to advise him about the role he’s playing as a lawmaker and at the same time working with other companies and government entities.
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In his view, Chambers said his deputy’s action was not in the appearance of good governance and he thinks Koffa was in a state of compromise.
“I even asked what if there exits conflict among those companies, but his response to me was he has a clause and there will be mediation and they will go through that medium,” Chambers alleges.
Speaker Chambers denies claims of linking his deputy to Firestone Liberia.
He said Koffa as Deputy Speaker was serving as legal counsel for the LMA, Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), Bea Mountain Mining Company, and LISCR.
A few weeks back, Deputy House Speaker Koffa dismissed Chambers’ accusations during a press conference.
Koffa emphatically stated that his boss, Mr. Chambers was misinformed regarding the nature of his professional engagements.
Koffa refuted the allegations of representing legal interests for those entities mentioned by Speaker Chambers.
Meanwhile, a local media house here has honored House Speaker Bhofal Chambers as the Man of the Year 2023.
The media house cited Chambers’ outstanding contributions to the nation and his unwavering dedication to selfless leadership.
In response to the honor, Speaker Chambers promised to remain humble in his ongoing service to the public.
He acknowledged the collective effort of the Legislature and reaffirmed his commitment to continue working tirelessly for the betterment of the nation.
Mr. Chambers allegation is just out of frustration. He needs to reorganize himself to accept defeat by the young student leader Williams for the private sector. I think he Chambers can do better in private sector as compare to the public sector.