Montserrado County Senator Darius Dillon, has backed off from plan by members of the 55th Legislature to increase the number of seats.
He strongly criticized a proposal by the House of Representatives to increase its membership from 73 to 89 seats.
The plan, recommended by a special legislative committee, and based on updated population benchmarks, seeks to add 16 new seats to improve representation at the legislature.
If approved, the changes would see several counties gain additional lawmakers, while others remain unchanged, including River Cess.
But Dillon argues that the move “oversteps the authority of the Legislature.”
He maintains that under the constitution, it is the National Elections Commission (NEC), but not the legislature that has the mandate to apportion seats across constituencies, once population thresholds are set.
“In simple terms, the Legislature sets the threshold, and the NEC does the apportioning.”
Dillon questions the legal basis of the House’s action to set the threshold by additional 16 seats instead.
Beyond the constitutional concern, Dillon also raised economic questions about the proposal.
He challenged lawmakers to consider whether they are prepared to reduce their salaries to accommodate the additional seats, warning that expanding the House would place further strain on public resources.
He further questioned the necessity of increasing the number of representatives at a time when citizens continue to demand improved governance and accountability.
The proposal, which would see counties like Montserrado increase its seats from 17 to 20, and others such as Bong, Nimba, and Lofa also gain, remains under review amid the growing debate.
Source: Tarr UB Garnett/Ablee-Jay Media