MONROVIA – FrontPageAfrica has reliably gathered that the Liberian Senate has written President George Weah advising him to call on the embattled Chairman of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. A. Ndubuisi Nwabudike, to resign.
Sources within the Senate said the decision was reached in an executive session on Thursday as they took into consideration the level of distrust his presence has brought to the country’s foremost anti-graft house, especially since the controversy surrounding his nationality started.
“In confidence, I can confirm that he will resign between now and tomorrow. We have had tensed discussion with the executive and have reached a compromise,” a source said.
FrontPageAfrica also gathered from some employees of the LACC that Cllr. Nwabudike during a meeting announced that he would be departing soon.
Cllr. Nwabudike’s nationality came into questioning during a Senate confirmation hearing when he was nominated to be the Chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC) though he was still serving a tenure position at the LACC.
It’s been more than two months since Plenary of the Liberian Senate mandated its Committee on Judiciary to investigate a concern raised by Senator Abraham Darius Dillon over the “Illegal stay” of Cllr. Nwabudike as chairman of the LACC.
The Senate plenary mandate to the committee was to investigate the controversy surrounding his citizenship but the committee chaired by Senator Varney Sherman of Grand Cape Mount County worked at a very slow pace.
On many occasions when the Judiciary Committee was asked to report its findings and recommendations to the Senate plenary, there was always an excuse about lack of attendance for meeting by committee members.
The Senate Judiciary Committee members include; Senator Sherman (UP-Grand Cape Mount County) Chair, Senator Morris Saytumah (UP-Bomi County) Co-chair and Steve Zargo (LP-Lofa County) amongst others.
Senator Dillon, in his communication to the Plenary stated that Part IV Section 6.3 of the Act creating the LACC requires that only citizens of Liberia are eligible to serve as Commissioner of the anti-graft institution, and Cllr. Nwabudike, as Chairman does not meet the criteria.
He claims to be a naturalized Liberia born to Nigerian parents in Nigeria. The authenticity of his naturalization documents, also came into questioning as his Liberian passports contained several dates of birth.
The Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) delisted him as a member after an investigation conducted by them proved that he allegedly forged his naturalization documents. The Bar called on the President to terminate his chairmanship of the LACC on grounds that the Act establishing the entity states that only Liberian citizens can serve on the Board.
Even while the NEC nominee was facing unprecedented grilling in the Senate Committee, the opposition bloc known as the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Nobel Laureate, Leymah Gbowee and former Liberian Ambassador to the UN Mr. Lewis Brown called on the President to withdraw the nomination which had turned “toxic”.
In a published open letter addressed to President Weah, former Foreign Minister Madam Olubanke-King Akerele opposed the nomination of Cllr Nwabudike “…Thus the imperatives of being a Liberian born to hold such a position that determines election results should prove paramount, even if the law does not spell it out explicitly as such.”