It seems like Cllr. Ndubuisi A. Nwanbudike’s woos are far from being over, as recent investigation reveals that the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) has refuted that he is a member of the institution.
President George M. Weah recently constituted an Ad-hoc Committee for the Recruitment of Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Commissioners after the National Legislature repealed the LACC Act and mandated all commissioners of the institution to resign and reapply if they were still interested in serving the entity.
Among those who applied for the Executive Chairperson position were Cllrs. Lamii Kpargoi, Ndubuisi Nwanbudike, Abraham B. Sillah, Denise S. Sokan, Joel Elkanah Theoway and Frederick L.M. Gbemie.
In its due diligence process, the ad-hoc committee on February 20, 2023 wrote the President of the LNBA, Cllr. Sylvester D. Rennie, requesting that the LNBA validate if the candidates were in good standing with the LNBA in terms of license to practice law in Liberia, as well as if they are in good standing of moral and professional ethics.
However, in his response, dated February 27, 2023, the LNBA President disclosed that the candidates are in good standing with the LNBA relative to moral and professional ethics, except for Cllr. Nwanbudike, whom the LNBA said was not a member of the bar.
It can be recalled that Cllr. Nwanbudike’s citizenship came into questioning when he appeared for confirmation hearing when he was nominated by President George M. Weah to head the LACC. The LNBA then revoke his membership, and since then he has been making effort to regularize his citizenship.
Recently, it was reported that he had finally regularized his citizenship, but appears like he is yet to have a good standing with the LNBA.
Speaking to the Hot Pepper recently over Nwanbudike being a former Secretary General of the bar, LNBA President Rennie said one has to be a citizen of Liberia before serving in such a capacity; as such, his ascendency to the Secretary General position was through fraudulent means, which cannot be honored by his leadership.