IPNEWS-Monrovia: A group calling itself ‘Citizens in Action for Electoral Justice in Lofa County’ (CAEJLC) has rejected the National Elections Commission (NEC’s) results following the just-ended senatorial By-election in Lofa County.
According to a press statement issued by CAEJLC in Voinjama, Lofa County, they have categorically denounced, rejected and condemned what they termed “purported results” as announced by the NEC, where Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)-backed independent candidate Cllr. Joseph Jallah defeated his closest rival, former Lofa County Superintendent Galakpai Kortimai with 790 votes at the polls.
The spokesperson of CAEJLC in a chat with IPNEWS confirmed that the statement is issued by the group and is intended to bring to the attention of Liberians the ‘injustice’ NEC has served the people of Liberia.
CAEJLC believes candidate Galakpai Kortimai won the election
Please see below the full text of CAEJLC’s Press Statement
“Citizens in Action for Electoral Justice in Lofa County (CAEJLC)
Voinjama City, Lofa County
0770433778/0776457193
Press Statement for immediate Release:
Fellow Liberians, we the citizens of Lofa, who voted candidate Galakpai W. Kortimai in the just ended Senatorial by-election, have gathered here to denounce, reject and condemn the “purported results” announced by the National Election Commission (NEC). The National Elections commission’s declaration of Candidate Jallah as the winner, who was supported by the ruling CDC Government is nothing but Vote rigging and broad day stealing of the votes of the majority of the people of Lofa who voted candidate Kortimai base on empirical facts available at many databases! This act by NEC to announce candidate Jallah as winner of the by-election we believe is influence by the Weah led administration who have proven beyond reasons to continue to politically and economically disenfranchised the people of Lofa. This vote stealing will further exacerbate the already bitterness and hits created between the people of Lofa and Cabas of thieves headed by George Weah since he became president. Let the word goes forth that CAEJLC can’t be alive and allow the people of Lofa be robbed of their constitutional rights by Weah and his incompetent and criminal mined NEC.
We are therefore calling for the immediate and unconditional resignation of NEC Boss Davidetta L. Brown and the local Magistrates of Lower Lofa, for willfully colluding to commit the crime of votes rigging and electoral frauds! NEC boss and the magistrates jointly and knowingly committed the following electoral frauds:
- By inflating election results in favor of Cllr. Jallah with numbers higher than the numbers of registered voters in many electoral districts on the website of the NEC which was later shutdown at which time the evidence were already screenshot and saved
- By providing misleading and inaccurate numbers or figures on final results or tally sheets on their websites.
- By allowing Cllr. Jallah and supporters openly trucking VOTERS before and on the day of election.
- Intimidation and harassment of voters who they preserved where not in their interest.
We reject the results announced by Weah’s NEC and therefore, call on our leaders of Unity party to categorically reject this broad day stealing of our votes and Democratic rights as this is the Second time the Weah regime has stolen our Votes.
Signed:———————————-
Emmanuel ZayZay
Secretary General-077645193
Approved by:—————————
Samuel Johnson
Spokesperson-0775104897
Attested by:—————————–
Abass Mark Biaty
Chairman-0770433778”
It can be recalled the National Elections Commission (NEC) on Friday, July 1, 2022 declared Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)-backed independent candidate, Cllr. Joseph Jallah as winner of the Lofa County by-elections.
The by-election which took place on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 saw six candidates vying for the Lofa County senatorial seat following former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai being denied to take his seat he won in the December 2020 midterm elections.
NEC declared Cllr. Joseph Jallah winner of the Lofa County By-election
With 790 votes difference, NEC Chairman Davidetta Brown Lansana declared Cllr. Jallah winner of Lofa By-election; defeating opposition Unity Party candidate Galakpai Kortimai. Cllr. Jallah won the senate seat in his fourth attempt to contest the senatorial seat in Lofa County.
“Mr. Joseph Jallah, having scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner of the Lofa County by-election,” NEC Chairman Davidetta Browne Lansana announced at the Commission’s headquarters in Monrovia.
According to the NEC results, Cllr. Jallah accumulated 22,019 votes to defeat his closest rival, Galakpai Kortimai of the Unity Party with 21,229 votes in the election which passed off peacefully.
That means, Jallah won by just 790 votes in Tuesday’s poll that contested by four other candidates.
NEC said the final results announced was for the entire 454 polling places in Lofa County.
Jallah was backed by the ruling CDC party, which has shied away from fielding a candidate in the stronghold of former Vice President Joseph Boakai, who is Standard Bearer of the Unity Party.
Earlier in the week, NEC released the provisional results and said it represented 83.92% out of 100% tally, but did not state specific areas the results originated from.
In that results, it said Cllr. Joseph Jallah (Indep) got 20,482 votes constituting 40.61%, while Galakpai Kortimai (UP) 16,666 votes, amounting to 33.0%.
Even before NEC could announce the final results, two of the six candidates had conceded defeat and congratulated the now declared winner. They include Momo Cyrus and Mariamu Beyan Fofana, both independent candidates.
Mr. Cyrus while conceding defeat said that he was not dropping his ambition to enter the Senate, vowing to return to the race in the g 2023 election, when half of the 30-member Senate seats will be up for grabs.
Meanwhile, IPNEWS correspondent who monitored the exercise across the county reported that in Voinjama, the county capital, residents trooped to the streets to celebrate the victory.
