MONROVIA – An aggrieved side in the just-ended 2019/2020 senior class leadership elections, Team Tarlue, is requesting the administration of the school to rerun the election citing a litany of fraud and irregularity that marred the sanctity of the process.
In a communication to the vice president of the for Graduate Studies, Dr. Roosevelt G. Jayjay, Team Tarlue representing candidate Emmanuel Tarlue, stated that the irregularity stated with the late arrival of the election commissioner, Freshman Jefferson M. Karkor, from the Education College on the election day.
They stated that it had been announced by Karkor that election was to begin a 9am, February 13 but he arrived for the process at 11:20 am and commenced the election at 11:40 after several students who had arrived as early as 8am to cast their vote and attend to other activities had left.
They also complained of voter intimidation particularly involving Mr. Christopher Swaray, an Instructor of Occupational Health, who has Mr. Daniel Nyonkor as his Teacher-Assistant (TA) and one of the Candidates in the election.
Team Tarlue alleged that Mr. Swaray used his presence to intimidate students from the Science College with words like “students of Science College, be mindful of your votes because this is our time.”
“Three hours after the presence of Mr. Swaray in the Voting Room coupled with his unethical behavior, the Presidential Candidate of TEAM TARLUE, Mr. Emmanuel Tarlue requested that he leaves which was granted but the damage has already been effected,” the complaint disclosed.
According to them, there were no adherence to same as instead of bringing a representative from the NEC, the Election Commission Chair, Mr, Jefferson Karkor brought in a student from the University of Liberia to help conduct the Elections.
The aggrieved side further added that that the Election Commission hurriedly closed the poll at 6pm and that voters who left earlier due to the delays on the part of the Election Commission appeared 3 to 5 minutes after 6pm with the intention that lost hours were going to be added, were denied to vote, most of whom are from the TEAM TARLUE Camp.
They believe the irregularities and fraud in the election which has tampered with the true will of the students, if not corrected could bring the image of Cuttington University School of Graduate and Professional Studies to public disrepute.