Monrovia – The Board of Commissioners (BOC) of the National Elections Commission (NEC) Thursday dismissed a motion for recusal filed by the legal team of the Liberty Party (LP) and the Unity Party (UP) against the Board of Commissioners.
Report by Henry Karmo [email protected]
The Board of Commissioners also set Friday November 24, 2017 1:00 PM for the final ruling in the case Charles Walker Brumskine and Harrison Karnwea Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the Liberty Party versus The National Elections Commission (NEC) and Unity Party interveners.
The legal team of UP and LP accused the Chairman of NEC and some members of the BOC of prejudicing the case of electoral fraud and irregularities by statement made by the chairman of the Party, who claimed that complaints against the NEC was politically motivated.
In the NEC ruling the Board of Commissioners said with Korkoya presiding over the Board of NEC this board has made several decisions in dispute standing from election in favour of the unity Party.
“The fact that the chairman made statements deem unfavorable by complainant it’s not a legally sufficient ground for recusal more over decision of the board are reviewable by the Supreme Court wherefore and view of the foregoing because complainant motion for recusal has no legal basis in law seem is hereby deny and hereby so order.”
In their final argument the complaints prayed members of the Board of Commissioners to overturn the ruling of the independent hearing officer of the National Elections Commission in that the hearing officer was ambiguous.
Member of the Board of Commissioners said the hearing officer made an ambiguous ruling when he mandated the National Elections Commission to take necessary steps to correct all what they admitted to as difficulties and challenges before any future elections.
Cllr. Muana Ville denied and dismissed complaints of fraud and irregularities in the October 10, 2017 elections filed by the Liberty Party first complaint and the Unity Party interveners.
The NEC hearing officer in his ruling said, the first complaint and interveners complaints have failed to prove allegations of fraud that warrant the re-run of the October 10, 2017 elections. The ruling is not a surprise.
“In few of all I have said, the National Elections Commission is mandated to take necessary steps to correct all what they admitted to as difficulties before any future elections the first compliant and interveners complaints have failed to prove allegations of fraud that warrant the re-run of the October 10, 2017 elections,” Ville said.