Monrovia – The Liberia National Bar Association has setup a committee “to review statements” made by the Commissioner-designate of the National Elections Commission, Cllr. A. Ndubisi Nwabudikie during his confirmation proceedings at the Liberian Senate.
Report by Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, [email protected]
The investigation is gear toward determining if the Nigerian-born-Liberian illegally achieved his Liberian nationality in 1982.
If it’s proven, Cllr. Nwabudike risks being scrapped off his Bar Association’s membership, a situation that might further prove detrimental for the current Chairman of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission – the country’s main anti-graft body.
Cllr. Bobby Livingston, Secretary General of LNBA, told FrontPageAfrica on Wednesday, 1 April that the investigation will focus on the controversy and anomalies in Cllr. Nwabudike’s responses about his naturalization to the Senate.
The NEC Commissioner-designate has come under increasing public scrutiny since his nomination by President George Weah with some calling for the Liberian leader to rescind his preferment while others urging the Senate to turn him down.
Among several issues that are already sparking public debate about the nominee is his nationality and inconsistency in his date of birth.
During one of his confirmation hearings, the Nigerian-born-Liberian told the Senators that he naturalized as a Liberian in 1982, at which time he was only 17 years old.
And that statement seems to be dogging his entire confirmation proceedings which again took a new hit on Wednesday.
And the Bar Association now seems concerned that Cllr. Nwabudike’s comment about his naturalization inculpates him, and now requires further investigation.
“That he was 17 years old when he naturalized [is illegal] and under our law we know that there’s consequence for that,” said Cllr. Livingston.
“So the committee is investigating that utterance because he made it in the public glare.”
Liberia’s Alien and Nationality Law states that “No person shall file a petition for naturalization unless he shall have attained the age of twenty-one years.”
“The investigation is first about his nationality issue then from there once we find out that he’s not a Liberian citizen, we will go to the next phase, which means telling him that he’s not allowed to practice law so definitely he will have to voluntary renounce his association with the organization or the organization will immediately proceed and do that.”
– Cllr. Bobby Livingston, Secretary General of LNBA,
With this, observers claim that the NEC Chair-designate “fraudulently” acquired his Liberian citizenship which they argue should have precluded him from practicing law, a profession only preserved for Liberian citizens – naturalized or natural.
Meanwhile, the LNBA has, however, assured that Cllr. Nwabudike will be given “due process” by the committee to ascertain that “he made the comment and then he will also be asked what the status of his nationality is?”
“You must be a Liberian before you are allowed to practice law in Liberia but once we do not establish that we cannot go to that aspect yet,” the LNBA Secretary General said.
He said the committee, which will be chaired by the LNBA’s grievance and ethic committee chaired by Cllr. Milton Taylor, will later present its findings to the Executive Counsel from which a decision will be taken.
“The investigation is first about his nationality issue then from there once we find out that he’s not a Liberian citizen, we will go to the next phase, which means telling him that he’s not allowed to practice law so definitely he will have to voluntary renounce his association with the organization or the organization will immediately proceed and do that.”
Livingston clarified that the investigation has nothing to do with Cllr. Nwabudike’s confirmation hearing and that it will be conducted whether he’s confirmed or not as NEC Chairman.
Cllr. Nwabudike has remained firm despite the public backlash. Prior to the confirmation hearing, he told FPA in an exclusive interview that most of the public opinions about his nationality are sentimental.
“What is happening now is sentiment; that sentiment is –‘This man, his name looks foreign, so he cannot be Liberian.’ I don’t care if I’m born 200 times in Liberia, so long as my name doesn’t sound like Brown or Jones or something, some people will have problem with that, but that’s not our law. Our law is not sentiment; our law is clear on what is nationality.
