Monrovia – The Board of Commissioners, (BOC), of the National Elections Commission, (NEC) has rendered rulings in two electoral dispute cases, declaring Senators Elect, Simeon B. Taylor and Augustine S. Chea as winners from the 8 December 2020 Special Senatorial Elections in Grand Cape Mount and Sinoe counties, respectively.
However, lawyers representing Victor Watson of CDC led by Cllr. Salibu Sessay has announced an appeal to the Supreme Court of Liberia, challenging the decision of the NEC. Also lawyers representing Grace Scotland Brimah, led by Cllr. Yafar Baikpeh has announced an appeal to the Supreme Court during its October term of court. The two appeals were granted by the head of the Administrative Court as a matter of law.
At the same time, Independent Candidate Steve Tequah in the Special Senatorial Elections in Rivercess County has withdrawn his complaint against Rivercess County Senator-elect Wellington Geevo Smith, thus making way for the certification of Smith as Senator of Rivercess county.
The Certification Committee of the NEC has been mandated by the Chairperson of the Commission to work out all modalities leading to the time and date for the certification of Senators Elect, Simeon B. Taylor, CPP of Grand Cape Mount County and Augustine S. Chea, CDC Sinoe County.
Reading the Board’s verdict, Cllr. Ernestine Morgan Awar said the complainant Victor Watson of the Coalition for Democratic Change, CDC filed to prove wide spread fraud and irregularities, showing that several persons voted twice, electoral violence, inflation of votes in the tally center by NEC Magistrate and voting by Senator elect Simeon Taylor as well as transporting voters.
In the Sinoe County ruling read by the Clerk Fofee Sheriff, the board said the Hearing Officer did not err because the complainant Grace Brimah filed to prove fraud and irregularities during the hearing. The case grew out of the action elections irregularities and fraud, in the case CPP, by and through its Sinoe county Chairperson Thomas Treason and Secretary General Ansu Kamara versus the NEC as first Respondent and Mr. Augustine S. Chea as second respondent.
All seven members of the Board of Commissioners including the head of the Administrative Court, Davidetta Browne Lansanah, Co-chairperson Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves, Commissioners Boakai A. Dukuly, Folyd Oxley Sayor, Cllr. Ernestine Morgan Awar, Barsee Leo Kpangkai and Josephine Kou Gaye unanimously singed the ruling today Thursday, 15 March 2021.