By Lincoln G. Peters
Liberia’s Supreme Court has declared Bomi County Senator-elect J. Alex Tyler as the winner of the just-ended senatorial race in the county.
The former House Speaker won the 10 October 2023 senatorial election in Bomi County, but his rival challenged his election win through the legal process which ended at the nation’s highest court.
The court has also ordered the National Elections Commission (NEC) with immediate effect to move with the certification of Mr. Tyler as winner of the senatorial seat.
Tyler’s rivals took legal issues with him and the NEC, requesting the highest court to examine the decision taken by the electoral house declaring Tyler as winner.
But delivering the Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday, 19 December 2023, Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba dismissed the appeal against Tyler’s victory.
“The Clerk of this Court is ordered to inform the National Election Commission accordingly to proceed with the certification of J. Alex Tyler as the winner of the 2023 Senatorial Election held in Bomi County,” Justice Kaba ruled.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
According to him, Section 6.7 of the New Elections Law requires that the bill of exceptions be filed by the
appelant with the Clerk of the Supreme Court within seven days after the decision of the Board of Commissioners (BOC) of the NEC, and a copy served on the declared winner and the NEC through is Chairman.
But Justice Kaba noted that the complainants failed to file the bill of exceptions with the Clerk of the Supreme Court within 7 days, and to serve Mr. Tyler up to the hearing of the appeal before the Supreme Court.
Justice Kaba further noted that Section 6.1 of the New Elections Law states that any political party or candidate shall have the right to file a complaint in a contested election.
In this case, he said the complainants Zonbon Coleman and Ernest Moriba are not a political party or candidate (s).
He stated that they lack the capacity and standing to file the complaint without authorization from the candidate, Soko Adam Dorley, whom they claim to represent.
