PHOTO: (Left) MPC Leader Freeman, Cllr. Nwabudike (Right)
By Anthony Stephens, acarusstephens@gmail.com
Monrovia, Liberia- The opposition Movement for Progressive Change, MPC is asking the Supreme Court to stop the embattled Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission from functioning in the commission.
In a 14-count petition, the party claims that it’s illegal for Cllr. Ndubusi Nwabudike to hold the position because he’s not a Liberian citizen.
Cllr. Nwabudike, a Nigerian by birth, has given conflicting accounts that he’s a naturalized Liberian citizen.
This prompted President Weah to recall his nomination as Chairman of the National Elections Commission in April, amid public pressure.
Cllr. Nwabudike returned to the LACC as Executive Chairperson because the President also withdrew the nomination of Cllr. Edwin Martin as head of the body over illegality grounds.
Cllr. Martin and another nominee—Aba Hamilton-Dolo are from the same county—Maryland.
Just like the NEC, the act establishing the LACC requires only Liberians to serve as on the commission of the anti-graft institution, so Cllr. Nwabudike’s recall became inevitable.
The MPC dismissed Cllr. Nwabudike as a fraudster—praying the high court to order President Weah to dismiss him, since he’s the only one with the constitutional power to do so.
The party’s move comes days after the Liberian National Bar Association completed an investigation into the embattled LACC boss.