Monrovia – The Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, has denied media reports that he holds both U.S. and Liberian citizenships, claiming that the reports were mere smear campaign.
Report by Lennart Dodoo – [email protected]
“Cllr. Korkoya says that the ongoing smear campaign is false, misleading and an attempt to distract the Commission from carrying out its constitutional mandate of conducting free, fair and transparent elections,” a short statement issued by NEC stated.
Cllr. Korkoya in the release insisted that he is a Liberian citizen.
According to Chapter 20 of the Aliens and Nationality Law of 1973, the following shall be citizens of Liberia at birth:
(a) A person who is a Negro, or of Negro descent, born in Liberia and subject to the jurisdiction thereof;
(b) A person born outside Liberia whose father (i) was born a citizen of Liberia; (ii) was a citizen of Liberia at the time of the birth of such child, and (iii) had resided in Liberia prior to the birth of such child.
A child who is a Liberia citizen by virtue of the provisions of subparagraph (b) of this section shall lose his citizenship unless he has resided in Liberia before attaining his majority or unless when he attains his majority and before attaining the age of 23 he goes before a Liberian consul and takes the oath of allegiance to the Republic of Liberia required of a petitioner for naturalization.
There has been series of publications in recent times in local dallies in Liberia displaying what is believed to be the American passport of the NEC Chairman.
The purported American passport which was allegedly issued in 2010 carries the same bio data with that of his supposed Liberian passport which was also published by the dailies.
FrontPage Africa has not been able to verify the authenticity of the purported American passport.
However, renowned human rights lawyer who is also acclaimed for speaking against ills in society, Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, told a local daily that Cllr. Korkoya may have committed perjury if indeed he bears an American passport.
According to the Daily Observer newspaper, Cllr. Gongloe said in a telephone interview that Section 2.3 of the Elections Laws of Liberia speaks of the qualifications of appointees to the NEC and they clearly state that “Every Commissioner shall be a Liberian citizen, be of age not less than 35, and shall be of good moral character.
“Our Constitution forbids foreigners from serving as commissioners of the NEC, simply because it has to do with trust and credibility,” he noted.
“If it is true that he is an American citizen, then it means that Cllr. Korkoya cannot preside over our elections if his loyalty is to another country.”
Cllr. Gongloe recommended that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf needs to ascertain the facts surrounding the Cllr. Korkoya’s citizenship and remove him from office it the facts proves that he has violated the laws of Liberia.
But the NEC Chairman who denies owning an American passport assured the public the NEC is committed to ensuring that the electoral democracy under his watch is protected at the same time calling on the public to support the NEC achieve its mandate of delivering credible elections in 2017.
“The Commission assures the people of Liberia and all stakeholders and partners of its commitment to scrupulously uphold the Constitution, Elections and other statutory laws including the Code of Conduct,” the release noted.