By Pewu Y. Sumo
MONROVIA – Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has drawn a sharp line in the sand, warning the House of Representatives that its current push to set and assign legislative seats directly to counties is a blatant violation of the Liberian Constitution.
Senator Dillon’s warning comes amid heated debate over how legislative constituencies should be drawn following the national census in 2022, setting up an imminent clash between the two legislative chambers.
Senator Dillon clarified that the Constitution splits the responsibility of seat distribution into two distinct, non-negotiable steps.
Courting Article 80(d) which gives the Legislature authority to set the population threshold based on new census figures, Sen. Dillon argues that the Legislature has absolutely no authority to directly assign seats to counties.
He also pinpointed Article 80(e) that grants the National Elections Commission (the NEC) as the sole body constitutionally empowered to calculate and apportion the actual seats once the threshold has been set by the Legislature.
“The Legislature has no authority to set and assign legislative seats by counties,” Dillon emphasized, pointing directly to the constitutional boundaries. “It is the authority and function of the National Elections Commission to determine ‘apportionment’ of seats.”
Beyond the constitutional overreach, the Montserrado Senator questioned the timing and focus of his colleagues in the House of Representatives, arguing that the political maneuvering is out of touch with the struggles of ordinary Liberians.
“How is the setting of threshold and/or the apportioning of seats a national priority at this moment?” Dillon asked, pointing to pressing economic and social issues that have been sidelined.
Senator Dillon made his next moves clear, promising to lead a legislative blockade against the House’s overreach as soon as the bill crosses over to the upper chamber.
“Let me state clearly now that we will lobby the Senate to set the record straight and fight to table this issue when or if brought before the Senate from the House of Representatives,” Dillon declared.
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