Credible information reaching the Hot Pepper from Nimba County says the candidate of the Movement for Democracy Reconstruction (MDR) for the up-coming representative by-election, Francis Maweah, and Senator, Jeremiah Koung, were seen in Diecke, Republic of Guinea, encouraging Guinean citizens who voted in the 2017 general elections in Liberia to cross over to Liberia come November to vote candidate Manweah.
The statement, in the video recording which is been interpreted in English because the message was delivered in French, is heard encouraging supporters of Senator Koung who voted him before to turn out on November 16 to vote for the MDR candidate, Maweah. The video recording is in the possession of the Hot Pepper. In the video, Nimba County’s inspector, who is the campaign manager for the MDR candidate, is clearly seen.
In a quick response via telephone call, Senator Koung told this paper that, if going to Guinea to bring people to vote for his MDR candidate was a crime or if the people have issue with it they should go to court. He could not deny the allegation or confirm, but rather said the person who has issue with it should take him to court—if he has violated the election law.
Over the weekend, a press release from one of the contestants was issued out against the same election law violation. The release states; “We would like to register to our people, citizens of electoral district #1, Nimba County, that we have discovered a gross violation of the election law and regulations of the Republic of Liberia. We have in our possession pictorial and video evidences of candidate Francis Maweah, accompanied and aided by Senator Jeremiah K. Koung of Nimba County in Diecke, Republic of Guinea.
“Their visit to this neighboring country, according to the release, was not for holiday celebration neither was it to perform a Government of Liberia (GOL) function.” The release noted that the singular purpose of their visit was to solicit votes from Guineans who have illegally voted in Liberia’s elections since the presidential and legislative elections of October 2017.
“Let me remind you that recently the result of the December 2020 mid-term elections in Nimba County was termed fraudulent,” the release noted.
“The election law is clear: there should be no foreign interfering whatsoever in the democratic processes of Liberia. Section 16, sub-section 5.1, 5.2 and 3.1 of the amended election laws of Liberia clearly defines this violation, therefore, for a candidate to go across our borders for campaign purposes is a gross violation of our laws. This act warrants the disqualification of candidate Maweah and the expulsion of Senator Koung from the Liberian Senate.”