-Senator Dillon Question the Rationale

Montserrado County Senator, Abraham Darius Dillon, has said he differs with the creation additional seats in the Legislature.

Senator Dillon, a ranking member of the Liberty Party in the ruling Unity Party Alliance, in a Facebook post, argued that there is no need for the creation of additional seats in the Lower House of the

“Why do we even need ‘additional’ seats,” the Senator wonders?

The Montserrado Senator was reacting to a proposal calling for sixteen additional seats to the current seventy three seats in the House of Representatives.

Dillon is questioning the constitutionality of the proposal and its accompanying financial burden. “I challenge the legal basis of the proposal and its potential burden on the State coffer”, Dillon stated.

The Montserrado Senator observed that the Legislature would overstep its bounds if it dares create new seats unilaterally.

Quoting Article 80(d) of the 1986 Constitution, Dillon said the role of the Legislature is to only determine threshold, while the same article grants the National Elections Commission the functional authority to “apportion” seats based on that threshold.

Beyond the legal hurdles, the Montserrado Senator said he is worried about the financial implications of expanding a government already criticized for high administrative costs.

Dillon wonders if his fellow lawmakers would be willing to reduce their monthly income to US $5,000.00 or less to accommodate the