-Says Video Is not Fake but Rather Exposes Gov. Potential Indicators of Rigging Elections

IPNEWS: Opposition Vision for Liberia Transformation (VOLT) political leader Dr. Jeremiah Z. Whapoe has coincided with a demeaning video alleging that the Government of Liberia had planned to rig the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, describing the information contained in the video as truth, factual, and importance that all should now alarm over.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with this newspaper Thursday, September 22, 2022, at VOLT party headquarter on the Old Road, Dr. Whapoe said that he believes the information in the video coincides with it because the government of Liberia for the last time and months had been displaying and showing potential indicators of ragging the election in its favor, something which he said they will not keep quite over.

‘’ Well as a professor of research and from my own understanding of what is happening on the ground from the various speakers, and actions to the government, I can say that the video is true and not fake because the information contained in the video is real and we are seeing the reality around us here’’ Dr. Whapoe noted.

‘’ For the president of Liberia George Weah to call the senate to an emergency session to make laws that will replace all elections magistrates across the country is a potential indicator that they want to rag the election. Also, for the government to print eight billion and you cannot see it in circulation on the market only when they are having activities it’s also an indicator. For the Armed Forces of Liberia to be sending strong caveats ahead of 2023 that they will not sit and watch the country’s democracy be derailed is part of.  For ruling, CDC to also think about training thugs in Lofa as militant and many more are indicators that they want to rag the elections’’ he alleged.

On Saturday the Liberian Government through the Ministry of Justice announced that its attention had been drawn to a malicious video being circulated on social media, which makes erroneous and incendiary claims about the state of affairs in the country.

“While the recent uptick in political activities ahead of general and presidential elections is understandable, “no amount of desperation should lead us to toy with our security. This is very wrong and could potentially damage the country’s stability and international reputation.”, the Acting Chair of the Cabinet, Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean has said.

The Justice Minister has therefore engaged Liberia’s international partners, including the heads of the Embassies of the U.S. and European Union, calling on them to vehemently condemn the dangerous and inciteful ploy which seeks to undermine Liberia’s hard-earned peace. He warned that engaging in false news with a clear intent to incite and create agitation in the general population is against the law; and therefore, anyone found fermenting or sponsoring activities intended to create chaos could face the full weight of the law.

The video not only cast aspersions on our enviable electoral system – which has gained much international acclaim recently – it also dangerously posited that the government is bringing in the country nefarious elements intended to create violence.

The International Community here has distanced itself from a fake news video circulating on social media which suggests that the Weah regime is bent on rigging the impending 2023 general and presidential elections.

“We strongly condemn any attempt to link the International Community with these allegations which could threaten and undermine national security. We stress that those responsible must be held accountable. We once again remind all political and media stakeholders of their responsibility to refrain from hate speech, disinformation, and violence, especially in the run-up to the 2023 elections. The International Community in Liberia wishes to reaffirm its continued commitment to peace and stability in Liberia,” a message sent by the United Nations Residence Coordinator on behalf of the International Community.

Meanwhile, the Liberia National Police and the National Security Agency o Liberia had launched a joint investigation in ensuring that those responsible for said video are made to ace the full weight of the law, adding that the video contains a barrage of information that borders on national security invoking terrorist group operations in Liberia.

But, Dr. Whapoe maintained that the video circulating on the media is true and real because the information in the video is all real and not fake because of the posture o the government on the ground both in their actions and deeds which clearly indicates that they want to rag the election.

According to him, it’s so, so surprising that out of know offense, and judicial prudent the government came out and wanted to firs all the election magistrates which smell corruption and indicate that they want to rag the elections, adding that if the public was going to keep quiet at this time CDC is replacing the magistrate with their partisans.

The opposition politician alleged that since the government printed the new eight billion dollars to be placed on the market to stabilize the economy, the money had not hit the market but are seen with Cdcian politician whenever they are having activities, alleging that the money was seen with Montserrado County District #5 lawmaker Thomas Fallah during the Lofa county by-election.

‘’ Therefore, the video parading or circulating on social media is not fake but real because the information in the video is all real and authentic. A video is an act of confidence and probability that the government is putting the thing together to rag the elections. Nobody says the video is fake but even if the international partners say so that is diplomacy because they want to maintain their relations with the country. However, we are looking at the reality on the ground. The international partners want to keep the diplomatic relationship they are enjoying with Liberia and if they say the video is fake that is the backdrop’’ Dr. Whapoe explained.

He believes that it’s not obvious to get up soon in the morning and call the legislature to make a law to its all-election magistrates, neither it’s obvious for the government through Senator Saah Joseph to announce a huge undisclosed amount that they have placed in storage to give president Weah one round victory, adding that the questions are where they are taking all those money from.

‘’ Finally, the video circulating on social media is true because the information in the video is all true and authentic. The government is allegedly training men and thugs in Loaf and Grand Gedeh County. They are training people to protect and guide them when they rag the elections that why the AFL budget had increased, and they are also recruiting for both the LNP and AFL. Now the question is, what is their threat or fear before they are doing those entire thing’’ and so with that, we can say they are planning of ragging the election because of those potential indicators showed over the past and continue to display’’ he concluded. By Taisiah K.Merfee