Nwabudike Defends Liberian Citizenship

By Grace Q. Bryant
The ousted Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. Ndubusi Nwabudike, has filed a petition for Declaratory Judgment at the Civil Law in defense of his citizenship.
In a 13-count petitions filed on April 7, Cllr. Nwabudike stated that the court must declare his right to a Liberian citizenship to enable him to continue his practice of law within the Republic of Liberia with all benefits of his rights and privileges associated with the status of citizenship without any precondition and obstructions.
Quoting Chapter 43, Section 43.1 of the Civil Procedure Law which state, “That courts of record within their respective jurisdictions shall have power to declare rights, status and other legal relations whether or not further relief is or could be claimed and no action or proceeding shall be open to objection on ground.”
According to the petitioner, for his status as a Liberian Citizen, he attended the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia and earned an LLB Degree and that he was admitted to the Monsterrado County Bar as an Attorney at Law giving him legal rights to practice law within the Liberian borders.
”This Honorable court is requested to grant the petitioner’s petition and thereby declaring the status of petitioner as a Liberian citizen authorized to continue with the practice of law in Republic of Liberia without obstruction as long he remains a law abiding citizen,” petition requested.
The petitioner maintained that following his practice of law as attorney at the local bar of Montserrado County for three consecutive years, he applied and was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar as a Counselor-At-Law.
The petitioner said during the practice of his profession as counselor of the Supreme Court’s Bar, he was appointed to serve as chairperson of the LACC and confirmed by the Liberian Senate to serve the Liberian Government where he associated with the Ministry of Justice and successfully prosecuted the case of ‘Economic Sabotage’ involving the former Defense Minister and two others.
The petitioner explained that his service was to the Government and People of Liberia as a peaceful and law abiding citizen but it is now being speculated by some group of persons hiding under the banner of the Liberia National Bar Association to challenge his status as a Liberian citizen and prayed the court to grant him said declaration so as to clear the minds people who appear doubtful of his Liberian citizenship thereby bringing him relief.
The petitioner submits that the Liberian Constitution of 1986 in Article 27(a)(b) recognize his status as a Liberian citizen at the time of coming into force when it stated that, “All persons who, in the coming into force of this constitution, were lawfully citizens of Liberia shall continue to be Liberian citizen; and that in order to preserve, foster and maintain the positive Liberian culture, values and character, only persons who are negroes or negroes descent shall qualify by birth or by naturalization to citizens of Liberia.”
The petitioner further said count nine of the Law of Nigeria made in 2011 could not affect the rights of the decision made by former citizens of Nigeria between 1980-1982 furthermore, the Laws of Nigeria is only applicable to Nigerians when they are within the jurisdiction of Nigeria and not otherwise.
“A Nigerian who commits a crime in Liberia would be prosecuted in accordance with the penal laws of Liberia and not the laws of Nigeria; accordingly, neither the Senate of Liberia nor any agency of the Government of Liberia has a legal obligation to respect or comply with the law of Nigeria or any other sovereign,” the petitioner expressed.
The fight for citizenship by Cllr. Nwabudike who is a Nigerian by birth but said to have been naturalized in Liberia as a citizen comes amidst his recent appointment as chairperson of the National Elections Commission.
President George Weah’s nominee for this office of integrity met still resistance by the public whose judgment was based on naturalization and integrity as well as fraud and those comments made drew the attention of the Senate Committee on Autonomous Agencies to conduct a public hearing during the vetting process.
Cllr. Nwabudike whose fate did not find an easy ride in the senate committee room nor did it leave the corridors of the committee room was a rather welcoming news by many who saw his nomination was more a death trap rather than an opportunity to excel professionally as the interactions therein exposed him for which he is making frantic efforts to defend or correct.