Monrovia – The Supreme Court will on Wednesday, August 23, 2017 entertain an appeal hearing against Edwin Snowe’s bid for the representative seat of Bomi County District #1.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian [email protected]
The Supreme Court has named parties to the hearing as Senator Sando Johnson, Senator of Bomi County and Representative Gayah Karmo appellants (petitioner) versus the Unity Party (UP) represented by its national Chairman, all officers and Representative Edwin Snowe appellee growing out of the case appeal of objection.
Snowe who is currently a representative for Montserrado County District #6 had agreed to contest the Bomi County District #1 seat after been petitioned by citizens of that county.
Though, citizens of that part of the county claimed that Snowe was not from the county yet he was their best choice for the legislative seat because of the level of developments he had done in that part of the county.
But two lawmakers of the county Senator Sando Johnson and Representative Gayah Karmo of Bomi District #1 have called on the National Election Commission (NEC) to reject Representative Snowe’s desire because he does not reside in the county.
The two lawmakers also claimed that it was a violation of the new election laws that one who wants to contest a representative seat of a district must have resided there for a period of one year which Snowe has not allegedly done.
During the hearing of the petition by the hearing officer of the National Election Commission (NEC) in Bomi County, Representative Snowe was rejected to contest for the Bomi Legislative seat on ground that he does not reside in the district.
“Representative Snowe as a sitting representative in Montserrado County with legal entitlements and a domiciled member of Montserrado County District sixth was not eligible to register in Bomi County and it is against the election laws for a sitting representative seated until 2018 to contest in another district” the objectors argued.
Contrary to the claim Snowe told the hearing officer that he had resided in the county for the last three years, and had made a lot of investments through a farm he owns in the county.
Representative Snowe later oposed the ruling and filed an appeal to the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC).
In the board’s ruling Representative Snowe was cleared on ground that the objectors failed to provide counter witnesses to Representative Snowe’s claim that he has domiciled in the district for nearly three years.
“The objectors’ objection to have Representative Snowe rejected for the Bomi County District #1 seat is hereby denied and dismissed because they have failed to provide counter witnesses to Snowe’s claim that he has domiciled in the district for nearly three years” said the board of commissioners.
In the wake of the NEC Board of Commissioners ruling the objectors, Senator Johnson and Representative Karmo opposed the board ruling and announced an appeal to the Supreme Court.
It is not clear whether Wednesday’ appeal hearing by the Supreme Court a final arbiter of justice to be followed by a ruling will bring an end to the controversy, which has left citizens of the county and their lawmakers divided as the lawmakers have vowed and maintained that they will not allowed Representative Snowe contest the seat of the county because he is not a citizen of the county.