Published: April 24, 2026
MONROVIA — The House of Representatives does not have the constitutional authority to create new legislative seats — so says a member of the Senate, as the lower chamber presses ahead with a proposal to add 16 seats to its current membership of 73.
Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has directly challenged the legal foundation of the exercise, arguing that the Constitution assigns the power to declare and allocate legislative constituencies not to the House but to the National Elections Commission. “It is very important to note that it is NOT within the authority of the House to declare and assign legislative seats per constituency under Article 80d,” Dillon said. “That is the functional authority of the National Elections Commission.”
Dillon pressed the financial dimension with equal force, posing a direct challenge to House members who support the expansion. “Will we be ready to REDUCE our monthly income to $5,000.00 or even below so as to accommodate for the additional seats?” he asked.
The Speaker’s office rejected that reading without qualification. Media Advisor to House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon said the legislature’s actions are constitutionally grounded and necessary. “The current exercise being carried out by the Legislature by setting up the electoral threshold and creating additional legislative seats is constitutionally consistent and politically astute,” the office said.
The Speaker’s office argued that the Constitution assigns distinct roles to each institution in the reapportionment process. “The Legislature prescribes and enacts the seat count; the Commission draws the boundaries,” it stated, adding that failing to act on updated census data would itself constitute a constitutional violation. “The answer is NO!” the office declared, rejecting claims that the legislature is overstepping its mandate.
The proposal, if passed, would raise the total membership of the House from 73 to 89. Supporters frame it as a constitutionally required adjustment tied to population growth recorded in the 2022 National Census. Opponents have challenged both the House’s legal authority to act and the reliability of the census data on which the proposal rests, pointing to unresolved disputes over the accuracy of the 2022 count.
Legal analyst Cllr. Elisha T.J. Forkeyoh described the proposal as poorly timed and economically indefensible. “While the proposal is being framed as a population-based adjustment to ensure equitable representation, the reality is that this move is ill-timed, economically burdensome, and fundamentally misaligned with the urgent needs of the Liberian people,” he said. “Increasing the number of lawmakers will not automatically translate into better governance or improved service delivery for our citizens.” Forkeyoh called for the country’s limited resources to be directed instead toward healthcare, education and infrastructure.
On the streets of Paynesville and across communities around Monrovia, residents have shown little patience for constitutional arguments on either side, focusing their objections on the performance record of sitting House members and the failure of representation to produce results they can measure in their daily lives.
Motorcyclist Moses M. Bennie said the proposal makes no sense given what current representatives have failed to deliver. “Those we voted for haven’t made any impact even though we stood in line for them,” he said, adding that any reapportionment based on disputed census figures would carry no legitimacy.
Transporter Abraham Sengbeh rejected the proposal without reservation. “I totally disagree because we who put them there aren’t benefiting from any of them,” he said. “Even if we add additional people they will still do the same, so no need.” Sengbeh said representatives routinely serve their own interests ahead of their constituents, a charge repeated by several other residents in separate interviews.
Resident Finda Tamba argued that the government should be cutting legislative salaries rather than expanding the payroll. Her position reflected a view shared by many residents that the proposal amounts to an increase in government expenditure at a moment when most citizens cannot meet basic needs.
Residents Peace Kerkulah, John S. Dolo and Dee K. Sadayea pointed to past House decisions they said had produced agreements on traffic management and residency permits that benefited narrow interests at the public’s expense. Several residents described the House as too deferential to the executive, raising doubts about whether a larger chamber would conduct itself any differently.
Josiah Kerkulah accepted the proposal in principle but said representatives must first demonstrate that they respect the laws already on the books and can perform the duties they were elected to carry out before any expansion is justified.
The debate has laid bare broader and longstanding public frustration with governance, accountability and public spending. While the Speaker’s office frames the expansion as a constitutional obligation, large numbers of citizens regard it as a wrong priority for a country where basic services remain inadequate and confidence in public institutions is low.
With the 2029 elections approaching and constitutional deadlines pressing, the House must resolve the legal dispute over its own authority — one now contested from across the Capitol — while making the case to a skeptical public that more representatives will produce better government rather than higher costs and more of the same.
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