Monrovia – The political leader of the opposition Liberty Party, Senator Nyonblee Kangar-Lawrence of Grand Bassa County has called for the prosecution of Cllr. A. Ndubisi Nwabudike who has been nominated by President George Weah to head the National Elections Commission.
In a Facebook post, Sen. Lawrence wrote: “Now that it is proven that Mr. Ndubisi Nwabudike is not a Liberian, and cannot hold the position as the chairman of our Elections Commission, he must be charged with perjury for lying under oath at the Liberian Senate and must also be charged as a criminal for fraudulent activities.”
Cllr. Nwabudike’s nomination to the Elections Commission raised several eyebrows though he had served as Chairman of the Governance Commission and subsequently the Chairman of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission for which he was confirmed by the Senate.
However, President Weah received numerous condemnations for this preferment with many questioning the nationality of the nominee.
Among those calling for the withdrawal of Cllr. Nwabudike are Madam Olu-Banke King Akerele, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lewis Brown, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee.
“Now that it is proven that Mr. Ndubisi Nwabudike is not a Liberian, and cannot hold the position as the chairman of our Elections Commission, he must be charged with perjury for lying under oath at the Liberian Senate and must also be charged as a criminal for fraudulent activities.”
– Senator Nyonblee Kangar-Lawrence
The confirmation hearing has been drama filled. On Monday, Cllr. Varney Sherman of Grand Cape Mount County discovered that the nominee claimed he naturalized as a citizen of Liberia in 1982 when he was 17 years old. This, however, run contrary to the laws of Liberia which require that one must attain the age of 21 to be eligible for naturalization.
On Wednesday, it was further discovered during the hearing that Cllr. Nwabudike provided conflicting birthdates on the documents presented to the Senate.