By David S. Menjor
President George Weah last weekend announced a new batch of appointees within his government, prominent among them is a nominee to replace the National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairman, Cllr. Jerome Korkoya.
Cllr. A. Ndubusi Nwabudike’s appointment as the NEC new Chairman has since been greeted with a barrage of criticisms and skepticisms from many quarters not only over the issue of shared loyalty and patriotism—but his nationality has been brought into question by some.
One of the cynics is Sinoe County Representative, Nagbe Sloh who referred to this naturalized Liberian citizen as “natural born Nigerian citizen” on a local radio station.
But the man at the center of these intense discussions has assured Liberians that he forever remains committed to the causes and advancement of Liberia.
Cllr. Nwabudike is a naturalized Liberian with a Nigerian lineage and now that he is in the limelight as crucial elections –the October 2020 Mid-Term Mid-term Senatorial elections and the subsequent 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections approach, many are questioning his loyalty and neutrality.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with this Reporter in Monrovia on Monday, March 23, 2020, the NEC Chairman designate said there is no need for Liberians to panic as he is a Liberian and his loyalty is totally with the country.
“I am not a Nigerian any longer. I am a Liberian and so there is no need to panic. The rights I now enjoy in Liberia, I cannot enjoy them in Nigeria. This is why before I naturalized, I went to the court and openly pledged my allegiance to Liberia, denouncing Nigeria,” he noted as he prepare to face Senate confirmation hearing later.
With the pledging of allegiance to Liberia, Cllr. Nwabudike no longer has right to dual citizenship.
The new NEC nominee so far appears to be the
darling-boy of the George Weah government as he is the only one who has been
appointed thrice since the inception of the Coalition for Democratic Change
(CDC) administration.
However, each of these appointments has been met with what some would consider
as public protest as many are skeptical of his Nigerian lineage.
He was initially appointed Chairman of the Governance Commission before being appointed as head of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) in January 2020.
But making Liberia a better country for all, according to Cllr. Nwabudike, takes patriotism—a virtue he claims to be imbued with.
“Some argue that I am a naturalized Liberian, from Nigeria. Others say I am a Liberian but was not born here,” he said,
Cllr. Nwabudike considers himself a Liberian through naturalization though his father is a Nigerian.
“I’ am a Liberian. My father, a Nigerian, came here, lived here, naturalized and went back to Nigeria. Myself grew up, became conscious and naturalized here in Liberia. I am Liberian because I made the conscious decision to be a Liberian,” he said.
He told many of his critics that patriotism
is not something that you can just claim, but it is in the action of people.
“Throughout my school days in Nigeria, I was always been here in Liberia
because I knew and continue to feel that I belong here,” he said, adding, “When
we go to the law, the Liberian Constitution guarantees me the right because I
am of Negro descent,” Cllr. Nwabudike said.
Political Nature of the job fueling tension
Though the issue of his nationality, patriotism and neutrality were raised when he got appointed on the two previous occasions, criticisms against Cllr. Nwabudike have intensified more since the latest appointment.
According to him, he understands that the criticism is now more intense because of the political nature of the country.
“I do understand why there is so much noise about my nationality and I think it is because of the political nature of the country. There is so much tense feeling of disunity and, as such, even the ignorant suffer the consequences they should not suffer,” he said.
“The issue of patriotism is about how you serve your country. It should be demonstrated in your action, not just by words of mouth,” said the NEC Chairman designate.
He said his appointment is not about what I can gain, but love for Liberia.
“I live here for many years, work, earn money and serve other people. I am not a wealthy man but I am not poor. I am ok. I have careers to my advantage and as such, my survival is not dependent on government’s job.”
The Liberian Lawyer says who believes in justice.
“The President has seen something in me and he has chosen to use me in the interest of this country. This is why I am here to serve. I am not a politician neither a member of any political institution in this country or anywhere else in the world,” Nwabudike said.
I believe that I have demonstrated my love for Liberia. During the war, when many people were running away, I was here. I helped to save the lives of many people and helped some to travel to Nigeria, Ghana and other countries to seek refuge.
NEC Chairman is just an Announcer, it is the people who decide
The NEC Chairman-designate said he is aware that the post is a delicate one and requires the highest degree of integrity for one to serve with distinction.
With this in mind, Cllr. Nwabudike said the Chairman of the NEC does not decide who wins or loses an election; it is rather the people who make these decisions. However, he added that the commission has the duty to ensure that those who win do so with dignity and those who lose also do so with the same level of dignity—this means the elections must be held with the highest degree of transparency and accountability.
“I see nothing difficult about me becoming a commissioner or head of the NEC. I know that the truth is what the people want.”
“If someone wins, he or she will win with dignity, not by cheating. If someone loses, he or she will lose with dignity, not by cheating. This is the spirit with which I will work at the NEC if confirmed by the Liberian Senate,” he said.
He added: “It is not the chairman of the NEC who conducts the election. It is the Liberians who serve as poll workers. There are representations of political parties. The results from the fields are only read by the NEC chairman. I will be very careful with the way my colleagues and I handle results.”
Cllr. Nwabudike’s first area of priority at the NEC when confirmed, he told the this Reporter, is the cleaning of the controversial voter roll.
“When I’m confirmed as NEC head, I will work with my colleagues to see to it that the Voter Roll is cleaned up. It has some problems and until those problems are dealt with, there will always be complaints about people’s names not being seen or people voting more than once,” he said.
He said although the task at the commission presents itself to be tedious, the commission along with its staff has to work hard so that the people get credible and acceptable results.
He noted that democracy in Liberia is not just a Liberian business but the United States of America (USA), the European Union (EU), ECOWAS and other international agencies who have invested so much in the country.
“All of them have invested their money and other resources in this country. They want Liberia to succeed. And those who have been appointed to work with me are people that I know. They are hardworking people. They are credible and can be trusted to support me in doing the right thing,” he said.
I’m Not the First Nigerian
Despite the intense buzz around his appointment, Cllr. Nwabudike is not the only one with a Nigerian lineage that has made his way through the Liberian political system in attaining higher posts.
Cllr. Nwabudike said his appointment is not the first time that someone of a Nigerian lineage is becoming top government service person, all of whom were first generation Nigerians who came and naturalized.
He named Julius Adhigibe, who served as Minister of State without portfolio for the William R. Tolbert government; Emmanuel Emeh who served as Deputy Managing Director for Forestry Development Authority (FDA); Melisa Emeh (wife of Emmanuel) was a member of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL). “She was there until two years ago when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf left office.”
“Edwin Kaliku was a Major in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL). He was Aide Camp to President Tubman.”
He also named Chief Cyrill Ugboma, founder of Liberia National Lottery, who was also Personal Assistant to President William R. Tolbert. “Ugboma introduced the idea of lotto and helped in seeing it come to fruition,” he said.
The NEC chair designate said Cyrill Ugboma, his wife and children were killed in 72nd, Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Boulevard during the 1990 civil war in Liberia.
“He had all the chances to have left Liberia for Nigeria or any other part of the world but because of his love for this country, he refused to go. He hoped that the war could have come to an end soon, mainly with the arrival of ECOMOG, the ECOWAS peace keeping force.
Talking about people whose parents came here and gave birth to them, Cllr. Nwabudike named former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elias Shoniyin as a singular example.