MONROVIA, Monserrado – Montserrado’s Sen. Darius Dillon is calling on President George Weah to dismiss the controversial Nigerian heading the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, Ndubusi Nwabudike.
“While I am not demanding President Weah to remove Cllr. Nwabudike, it is a call that the president must immediately carry out due to prudence,” Dillon said.
The Liberia National Bar Association has already expelled Nwabudike for his alleged failure to prove his Liberian citizenship, a requirement for practicing law in Liberia.
Prior to the LNBA’s action, the president had withdrawn Nwabudike’s nomination to chair the National Elections commission after he could not convince senators about his Liberian citizenship during his confirmation hearing.
Speaking with journalists over the weekend at his home, Dillon said Weah’s maintaining Nwabudike at the LACC, an integrity body, would show a lack of leadership.
The Montserrado senator is also calling on his fellow colleagues at the Senate to communicate with the president to remove the controversial lawyer. He recently wrote the Senate to draw their attention to the act creating the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, which requires citizenship to serve on the commission.
According to Dillion, “during his confirmation hearing, Nwabudike’s alleged Liberian citizenship was called into question.”
“We hold strongly that Mr. Ndubusi Nwabudike, a citizen from Nigeria by birth, has not demonstrated or proven to be a Liberian and [the] manner of acquisition of Liberian citizenship as he claimed before this august body during his confirmation hearing,” he noted in his communication to the Senate.
“In view of the above, I wish to formally invite the intervention of the Senate to this matter of national concern and impress upon my distinguished colleagues to take seize thereof and ensure that the proper and appropriate measures be taken to uphold, protect, and defend the integrity and credibility of the LACC from being abused and violated.”
Since his communication, there have been no actions taken by the Senate, which is currently undergoing a two-week suspension due to a confirmed COVID-19 case in its secretariat.
Meanwhile, Dillon has commended Pres. Weah for nominating two women to head the National Elections Commission: “I see nothing wrong with Pres. Weah’s decision to nominate Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah and Cllr. Teplah Reeves as chair and co-chair of NEC.”
The executive director of the Elections Coordinating Committee, Oscar Bloh, had noted that Reeves previously participated in the 2014 senatorial election on the ticket of President Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change. He reasoned that she must not be allowed to serve in the position for fear of future conflicts of interest.
However, Dillon said Reeves could resign from her party and still be legally eligible for the NEC position. He said if Reeves presents a letter of resignation from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, he and other senators should see no reason to deny her confirmation.
Featured photo by Zeze Ballah
