PHOTO: Madam Botoe Kanneh
By Our Staff Writer
As the National Elections Commission (NEC) sets this Thursday, January 7, 2020 for the Special Senatorial election re-run in the Gbarpolu town of Normodotahu, where violence erupted last December, the leading female candidate Gbotoe Kannah (Independent) has called for the relocation of the voting area and set a number of pre-conditions for her participation in the re-run.
The election process was disrupted amidst violent clashes on December 8, 2020, as a local town chief seized ballot boxes and took them to his house, as the traditional country devil was unleased causing many people to flee into the bush
In a communication to the United Nations and international community on behalf of her campaign committee, Liberian Lawyer Moifee Kanneh expressed apprehension about the current security environment in Normodotahu. This town has over 2,000 registered voters.
In the wake of the violence, Madam Kanneh went missing for some time before being rescued by a team of women activists last month.
“The Botoe campaign committee is faced with daunting tasks which need an urgent remedy,”
Cllr. Kanneh claimed that NEC “unilaterally re-scheduled the elections for January 7, 2021 in spite of our complaint outlining several violations that need to be addressed for the safety of our participation.”
But NEC’s Chairperson, Davidetta Browne Lansannah told a news conference last week that the Justice Ministry has restored calm to the area and has given the Commission full assurance that the vote in the town will be peaceful.
She also said NEC had already done assessment, secured new voting materials and deployed a new technical team to conduct the January 7 re-run in the town hall of Normodotahu.
However, the Botoe Kanneh campaign team still has apprehension about security in the area, amid the continuous detention of their supporters by state security forces.
In their communication to the international community, the legal counsel of the campaign team urges the following.
“Create a secured environment for our candidate to effectively campaign.
Give back the Voter Registration Cards seized from our supporters by the Immigration Commander who is the Inspector General was assigned in the area (Fayiah). Release our supporters from Prison who are currently illegally detained without according them due process. Relocate the voting area from Normodotahun to an ideal area due to the security concerns. All eligible Voters MUST be allowed to vote without been molested.”
They ask that their “valid concerns need to be addressed.”
Meanwhile, the campaign team of the Gbarpolu female candidate says it “is challenged at the moment. We are actually in dire need of any assistance at moment to enable us participate.”
Madam Botoe Kanneh and her team are therefore calling for the rescheduling ot the re-run election date.
“Frankly speaking, we deem it necessary to have the election date readjusted in order to resolve the issues mentioned supra. As the situation stands, we are apprehensive of the integrity these elections,” said the communication from Cllr. Moifee Kanneh to the international community.
Gbarpolu County Senatorial candidates