Senators fuss over NEC appearances

Senators Conmany Wesseh and Peter Coleman were entangled in war of words Tuesday September 22, after Senate President Pro tempore, Senator Albert Chie said the board of commissioners and the entire authorities at the National Elections Commission (NEC) were too busy currently to appear before the full plenary of the Liberian Senate.

The purpose of their proposed appearance is to provide update or detailed information as it relates to the reported electoral violence and trucking of voters’ from one point to another by aspirants. This was after the Senate’s committee on elections and inauguration headed by Bong County Senator, Dr. Henrique Tokpah presented a report highlighting some of the challenges facing the ongoing voters’ roll update exercise.

But Chie, who is also a Senator from Grand Kru County remained firmed and said with the voters’ roll update which is a nationwide exercise, it would be an injustice to the electoral house to call them every time for hearing.

As the debate about the invitation to the NEC intensifies on the Senate’s floor, River Gee County Senator Conmany Wesseh in what appears to be a mockery noted that those appointed and subsequently confirmed by the senate are effective and the process of election is on course and there’s no need of fear.

But his commnet did not go down well with another Grand Kru County Senator, Dr. Peter Sonpon Coleman, who took a swap at Sen. Wesseh, saying when he and others like him were enjoying the past administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, he did not speak against some of the challenges they are now considering as ‘bad governance’. He slammed Sen. Wesseh saying, it is unfair for a sitting senator to mock officials that were confirmed by senators in the public glared.

In response to Sen. Coleman, Sen. Wesseh said, Coleman should be prepared to provide his professional services to many citizens in the near future if the pending election ends in violence and violence could return him (Coleman) to the hospital to serve Liberians instead of being in the senate.

Sen. Wesseh’s statement did not go down well with the Grand Kru County senator as he responded harshly saying former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reportedly cheated others in the 2014 River Gee special election to allow Senator Wesseh come through as victor.

That prompted Sen. Wesseh to request an explanation from Coleman about the death of late River Gee County Senator Isaac Johnson, who died doing surgery conducted by him (Sen. Dr. Coleman) at his private Malag Clinic during the early days of former Johnson Sirleaf administration.

The exchanges created serious tensions between the two senators; it took Grand Bassa County Senator Jonathan Kaipee and Sinoe County Senator J. Milton Teahjay to quiet the bitter exchanges.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor–Edited by Othello B. Garblah