Two of the four candidates for the Borough Governorship, Dekontee Woto and James Tumu, have termed as backdoor, illegal, criminal and unconstitutional the selection of the dismissed Vice Governor Wle Wle Koffa as the new Governor of the Borough.
It can be recalled that over the weekend some elders of the Borough of New Kru Town held a selection process participated in by a lone candidate, Koffa, among the four, and announced him the new administrative head.
Reporters who witnessed the occasion said the process was neither conducted by members of the Elder Council nor the Chair of the Election Committee, Comfort Toe, as both Governor Moses Doe Weah and his former vice labeled each other as corrupt.
Addressing a news conference Monday, February 5, 2024 on the Bushrod Island on behalf of the two candidates, Woto called on the Chairperson to disqualify candidate Koffa from taking part in the process.
Among other things, the team of two further urged Governor Weah to relieve Philip Merchant from his official post as Chair of All Chairs, underscoring that the Six Nominating Districts should equally withdraw all those involved in the backdoor selection.
“We are also calling on Governor Moses Doe Weah to relieve Georgia Cain Baryor from her position as member of the management team of the town hall for aiding and abetting the backdoor selection process,” the joint statement disclosed.
Woto and Tumu also pressed on the Chairperson of the Six Nominating Districts of the Borough, Comfort K. Toe, to file a lawsuit against Merchant for impersonating as Chairperson of the Six Nominating Districts of the Borough.
They added that candidate Koffa and some elders of the Six Nominating Districts, headed by Patrick Nyantee Sleh, who is not the chairperson of the body, without the knowledge of the Governor intruded into the premises of the Corporation Hall of the Borough and held their own selection process, void of the guidelines set forth for the selection process.
The two candidates emphasized that his action has the propensity to cause chaos in the Borough of New Kru Town or electoral district #16, Montserrado County.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press, we are calling on all citizens of the Borough of Kru Town to remain calm as the situation is under control and a free, fair and transparent selection process will be carried on,” the release said.
Meanwhile, Tumu and Woto claimed that some of the elders were invited on Friday morning, February 2, 2024 by Representative Dixon Seboe at his residence in the Borough.
According to them, there was intelligent information gathered from the meeting in which they were asked by the lawmaker to conduct the selection at all costs; even if it meant to breach the Borough’s constitution, Act and the guidelines of the selection process.
They added that it was also agreed to boycott the planned meeting that they all accepted to attend by the Grand Kru Elders Council and Matro District at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2024.
“We see the meddling of Representative Dixon W. Seboe into the Borough selection process as an affront to us the candidates, and we are calling on him to desist,” the two candidates intimated.