Sherman’s supporters angry

Supporters of Grand Cape Mount County senator-elect, Cllr. Varney Sherman, are expressing discontent over the Supreme Court’s injunction against his certification ahead of the National Elections Commission’s findings into a complaint filed by his opponent, Dr. Foday Kromah.

The renowned Liberian corporate lawyer is also chairman of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s governing Unity Party, but contested the December 20, 2014 senatorial poll as an Independent Candidate. 

Cllr. Sherman, who secured 61.7 percent of the total votes cast in Grand Cape Mount County, is among three senators-elect that were denied certification by the NEC on Saturday, 3 January 2015, based on an injunction from Chamber Justice Phillip A.Z. Banks, III.

Hearing was expected before Justice Banks in chambers at the Supreme Court at 3:30pm on Monday, January 5, 2015. 

Other winners denied certifications include Margibi County’s James Tononlah and Morris Saytumah of Bomi County.

Ahead of the court’s hearing, the media committee chair for Cllr. Sherman’s Cape Mount supporters, Kemo Sambola, claimed that the NEC “was not given the chance to probe into whatever complaint came.”

For his part, the governing Unity Party chairperson for Grand Cape Mount County, Ernest Lamie Fahnbulleh, argued that after elections, those who felt cheated had one week to take their complaint to the NEC; while the NEC on the other hand, has 30 days to hear such complaint.

In the case at bar, Mr. Sambola is contending that Dr. Kromah filed his complaint before the NEC on December 29, 2014, roughly seven working days after the Saturday, December 20 election.

“And the Elections Commission cited the parties involved on Friday for hearing… so it surprises us while [awaiting the] Elections Commission’s findings from the hearing, then we see Justice Banks coming in with a stay order not to certificate our chairman Cllr. Sherman,” he said.

At the end of a meeting held in Brewerville on Sunday, January 4, 2015, the aggrieved supporters of Cllr. Sherman made an appeal to the government not to take Cape Mount for granted anymore; warning, “We’re not going to stand for that.”

He then called on citizens of Grand Cape Mount County, partisans of the Unity Party and sympathizers to converge at the Temple of Justice to receive “fair justice.”

By Winston W. Parley