By Lincoln G. Peters
Opposition Vision for Liberia Transformation Party (VOLT) defeated presidential candidate Dr. Jeremiah Z. Whapoe is unhappy that his request to cancel the 14 November presidential run-off has been denied.
Whapoe is now thinking about appealing against the decision taken by a magistrate of the National Elections Commission (NEC).
He has vowed to take the matter before the full Board of Commissioners of the NEC for redress.
He also has a plan to take the case further to Liberia’s Supreme Court if the NEC does not properly handle the alleged election fraud case.
Incumbent President George Manneh Weah and his archrival Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai will meet for the second time in a presidential run-off on 14 November 2023.
Dr. Whapoe was among 19 opposition presidential candidates who contested against Mr. Weah for the presidency on 10 October 2023. He obtained 9,149 votes or 0.50 percent of the total valid votes cast.
On Wednesday, 1 November 2023, the NEC magisterial office heard VOLT’s complaint against the electoral house.
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During the hearing, VOLT requested a cancellation of the pending presidential run-off, accusing the NEC of intentionally omitting its name during the first round of the election.
VOLT alleged that its name was replaced by the NEC with the Grassroots Development Movement of Edward Appleton, the distant third-placed presidential candidate who obtained 40,271 of the total votes cast or 2.20 percent.
In the first round of the election, incumbent President Weah obtained 804,087 votes, constituting 43.83 percent, followed by Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai with 796,961 votes, constituting 43.44 percent.
Most of the candidates had zero percent, besides Appleton’s two percent and three other candidates who managed to have just about one percent each.
During the hearing of VOLT’s complaint, the NEC argued that VOLT signed during the preliminary validation exercise of knowing your candidate.
The Commission therefore argued that VOLT’s complaint is belated.
Additionally, the NEC argued that VOLT filed a complaint without a Board resolution, something the electoral house claimed is unethical and breaches corporate law.
Deciding the case after listening to both arguments and law citations, the hearing officers ruled against VOLT because the party did not have legal standing.
Responding to the ruling, Dr. Whapoe said he is taking an appeal to the NEC’s Board of Commissioners.
He said if the matter is not addressed and justice rendered, he will go to the Supreme Court.
“It’s so erroneous that the criminals will be the adjudicator, police, and judge for themselves,” Whapoe claimed.
He accused the NEC of allegedly committing a crime against his party.
But he also lamented that the NEC is the judge in the case.
“… They will not rule against [themselves]. They told us in their ruling that we don’t have the right to sue because we breached corporate law,” said Whapoe.
He contended that this had not happened before. Dr. Whapoe said his party has taken an exception to the decision and announced an appeal before the NEC Board of Commissioners.
He stated that any attempt to deny the people from having a free and fair election would take the matter to the Supreme Court.
He said that the validation paper that was signed by his chairman was never intended to say that the election or the materials he received were good.
According to him, his party chairman signed to indicate in the NEC book that he had received his package to conduct civic voter education (CVE).
Moreover, he said the NEC also violated the law when it came to giving the validation paper.
Whapoe explained that the Know Your Candidate paper was given to political parties in the campaign period, particularly four days before the elections.
“We are peaceful people and we will remain peaceful and follow the legal process. However, all that I can say is that we will not rest until this is addressed at the Supreme Court,” said Whapoe.
“The court will tell us if it’s good for two political parties to be on the same ballot with the same name but different candidates,” he noted.
