Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ADV) – Liberian President Georg Weah’s second ambassador-designate to the United States could possibly fail again, sources said.
The information is contained in a report by Liberia’s Daily Observer newspaper monitored on Sunday by the Africa Daily Voice.
The sources explained that President Weah’s “unconstitutionally” commissioned Liberian Ambassador to the United States, George Patten, may be recalled to help avert bad blood between the Legislature and the Executive branches of the government.
The newspaper quoted diplomatic sources as saying that imminent recall of Ambassador Patten will also save the George Weah Administration from another embarrassment, after a recent incident involving the President’s first choice for Ambassador to the United States.
It can be recalled that President Weah had nominated Madam Teta Gurley Gibson as ambassador to the United States but was rejected by the U.S. government because she holds U.S. citizenship.
Madam Gibson is now the sitting Liberian ambassador to Britain.
Speculations that President Weah’s new ambassador-designate to the United States in the person of Mr. George Patten would hit another snag since Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules, Order and Administration is kicking against Patten’s nomination.
Senator Karnga-Lawrence insists that President Weah’s handpicked nomination of Mr. Patten was a “ blatant violation of Article 54b of the Constitution of Liberia.”
Hence, the Senate Chairman has written to invite the ambassador-designate and Liberia’s Foreign Minister Gbehzongar Findley to appear before senate to conduct a confirmation hearing which could possibly scrap Patten’s appointment.
“How then [could] the President (Weah) nominate but, without the consent of the Senate, appoint and commission Patten?
“ This action by the Executive (Weah) is a sheer violation of the Liberian Constitution,” the Senate chair wrote in his letter date 14 January 2019 summoning the foreign minister and Patten to appear the Senate foreign committee.
© Bur-csa – N.A / From our regional correspondent Tamba Jean-Matthew III – African Daily Voice (ADV) – Follow us on Twitter : @ADVinfo_eng
