By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
VOINJAMA, Liberia- Polls have closed in the Senatorial By-election in the northwestern Lofa County, as thousands of registered voters went to the polls today, Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in a generally peaceful election.
But in the County’s capital, turnout was low and reports from the other districts speak of similar situation.
However, in some place some described the turn out as encouraging.
According to some polling staffers during the early morning hours, voters trooped to vote their choice for Senator to fill the seat that has been vacant for some two years.
The declared winner of the November 2020 Special Senatorial polls, former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai could not be certificated by the National Elections Commission (NEC) due to a protracted legal hurdle, after being convicted of corruption in connection with the misapplication of AFL soldiers over US$1 million welfare funds.
A visit was taken by this reporter at the Administrative building in Voinjama city, followed by the Free Pentecostal high school and where the process is going smoothly.
Liberian joint security forces were deployed in full here in across Lofa County.
Voting started in the early morning hours with no reports of violence in this hotly contested race, which was earlier delayed by legal challenge.
According to the NEC polling staffer, they have one situation where a voter’s name wasn’t on the Final Registration Roll (FRR) neither was it on the index. And as per mandate, once the name is found on the both list, said person is not allow to vote.
As for Foya district, there were earlier reports of a little tension there over identification issues and also a supervisor from the CDC camp, who was seen talking with voters on line which also created tension according to witnesses accounts.