MONROVIA – Mr. Simeon Taylor’s long battle to the Senate has finally come to an end after the Supreme Court of Liberia affirmed his victory as declared by the National Elections Commission, despite a prolonged dispute by his opponent.
Mr. Taylor is a member of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
The Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling came after rigmarole at the National Elections Commission and finally landing at the Supreme Court for final determination.
Mr. Taylor’s victory in December 8, 2020, Special Senatorial election was reaffirmed after a protest by Victor Watson of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) on July 19, 2020, by the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission.
The NEC Board of Commissioners (BOC) through its Chairperson, Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah on the same date following the ruling, instructed the Certification Committee of NEC-Liberia, with immediate effect to go ahead with all necessary modalities leading to the certification of Mr. Taylor as Senator-elect of Grand Cape Mount County.
However, the Complainant, Victor Watson, of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) represented by Cllr. Sheik Salibu Sesay accepted the ruling and announced an appeal to the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia.
In the BOC ruling read by Commissioner Cllr. Ernestine Morgan Awar the complainant Victor Watson failed to prove by the preponderance of the evidence the allegations of double registration and voting, pre-marked ballots, stopping of his party agents by mobs of Simeon Taylor from entering voting centers and the forging of signatures of his party agents on the record of the count.
Reading the Court’s final ruling on Wednesday, Associate Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokollie stated that the merits of the case were being dismissed.
Justice Wolokollie explained that the complaint filed by CDC Senatorial Candidate, former Senator Victor Watson alleged that the CPP Candidate appeared twice on the FRR, in Tahn Town and Lofa Bridge as an error on the part of NEC.
“While there is evidence that co-appellate Simeon B. Taylor’s name appeared twice on the FFRs of Than Bridge, it was established that he only voted in Tahn in the December 8, 2020, Special Senatorial Election,” the ruling stated.
She maintained that former Senator Watson failed to establish proof of pre-marked ballots, forgery of signatures on the senate record of count and the stopping of its poll watchers from entering the polling stations.
“The appellant failed to establish proof of pre-marked ballots, forgery of signatures on the Senate Record of Count and the stopping of its poll watchers from entering the polling stations,” Justice Wolokollie read.
“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the final ruling of the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission declaring Co-appellete Simeon B. Taylor as the winner of the Special Senatorial Election held on December 8, 2020, in Grand Cape Mounty County is hereby affirmed,” Associate Justice Wolokollie stated.