Editorial: Police should arrest Electoral supervisor Cece Munah Nimely

National Elections Commission electoral supervisor in Pleebo Sodoken District, Maryland County, Cece Munah Nimely, should be apprehended by now, for questioning in connection with a purported leaked audio making rounds in Monrovia that links her to making confession to ballot stuffing against Representative Bhofa Chambers during the 10 October elections.

In the purported audio, Madam Nimely is heard plotting to stuff ballot papers in favor of the declared winner of the district seat, Anthony Williams, who contested against Rep. Chambers, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“I’m going to steal ballot papers since the people do not know how to vote so my attention was, I gave him the ballot papers then he gave it to the people”, Madam Nimely is heard hatching her plot in the purported leaked audio. She adds: “Anything that is supposed to happen passes through the Supervisor and the Presiding Officer, you know how that whole thing looks, the tallying? The thing then we can take from in the field, da it then can put in da system, and nobody change it.”

In the audio, she is also heard explaining that tallying of results from Old Sodoken were delayed to execute the plot against the Speaker.

Speaker Chambers has formally complained to the National Elections Commission, and the NEC is currently hearing the case.

While we do not in any way seek to pass judgment in this matter, our honest recommendation is that the Police should call in the accused for interrogation which will enhance the ongoing hearing.

From all indications, we think she should be given an opportunity to exonerate herself from all accusations and to uphold the integrity of ballots cast at Old Sodoken polling center on October 10, 2023.

This is also necessary to help calm tension that is building up in the district, ahead of the presidential runoff election slated for Tuesday, November 14. Already, supporters of Mr. Anthony Williams are threatening to vote against the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change next Tuesday, if the NEC reversed the poll result in the district in favor of Speaker Chambers, a staunch partisan of the CDC.

The authenticity of the leaked audio is totally something else that we leave up to the NEC hearing officer, but to buttress the exercise, it is important that Madam Cece Munah Nimely is brought in for questioning for her direct role as electoral supervisor.

Lest we are misunderstood, the NEW DAWN does not in any way seek to prejudice the ongoing hearing but to have the NEC bring all sides on board for the sake of transparency and peace without bowing to pressure whatsoever.