PHOTO: Edith Gongloe-Weh (middle dressed in white blouse)
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- The Supreme Court of Liberia today, Thursday April 8, 2021 ruled against the CPP candidate Edith Gongloe-Weh in the long awaited Nimba County Senatorial election dispute.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) had earlier declared sitting Representative Jerimiah Koung as winner of the December 8, 202c Special Senatorial election, something the CPP’s candidate challenged, alleging a number of irregularities.
According to the Supreme Court ruling, it was acknowledged that there was fraud and irregularities but there was no sufficient evidence to overturnthe election results, despite those issues raised of ballots being place in cartoons and in some places there was intimidation.
The nation’s highest court therefore ordered the NEC to affirm the Board of Commissioners ruling into the matter and certificate the winner of the Nimba County December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial Election.
On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, the Supreme Court reserved ruling into the Nimba County Senatorial election dispute case involving the opposition CPP candidate Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh and incumbent Representative Jeremiah Koung in northeastern Liberia,
Lawyers representing Madam Gongloe-Weh were seeking the Court’s mandate to rerun the December 2020 polls in five electoral districts in Nimba, citing several irregularities, electoral fraud voters’ intimidation, among others.
In their argument, they spoke of unsealed ballot boxes being delivered to the local NEC office without security escort, and that Senator Prince Johnson who is a key supporter of Koung visited a polling place in military attire with armed escorts, thus scaring away voters and sparking a tension that resulted into one person sustaining injury.
Bar President leads opposition candidate’s legal team
Gongloe-Weh’s legal team is headed by her senior brother, Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, who also heads the Liberia National Bar Association. Other members of the legal team are Cllrs. Francis Johnson Morris, Augustine Fayiah, Kuku Dorbor, Philip Gongloe and former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott.